An Armenian law-enforcement agency has brought more criminal charges against Manvel Grigorian, a retired army general prosecuted for illegal arms possession and embezzlement.
The Special Investigative Service (SIS) said on Thursday that Grigorian now also stands accused of evading more than 1 billion drams ($2.1 million) in taxes, wasting 1 billion drams worth of public funds and extortion.
It alleged that he used threats and intimidation to dispossess in 2004 the owner of a petrol station in the town of Echmiadzin where Grigorian lived and held sway up until his arrest in June 2018.
The once powerful general was arrested when security forces raided his properties in and around Echmiadzin. They found many weapons, ammunition, medication and field rations for soldiers provided by the Armenian Defense Ministry. They also discovered canned food and several vehicles donated by Armenians at one of Grigorian’s mansions.
An official video of searches conducted there caused widespread shock and indignation in the country. Grigorian, who served as deputy defense minister from 2000-2008, denied the charges.
His lawyer, Arsen Mkrtchian, rejected the fresh accusations leveled by the SIS as “absurd” and “even more fabricated.” Mkrtchian said that they will “burst like a bubble” if his client gets a fair trial.
The trial should get underway soon. The SIS also announced on Thursday it has completed the criminal investigation into the high-profile case.
Also prosecuted as part of that probe are Grigorian’s wife, Nazik Amirian, and younger son Arman. The latter is on the run, according to the SIS.
The 62-year-old general suffers from a number of serious illnesses, reportedly including cancer. A district court in Yerevan ordered Grigorian’s release from pretrial detention on health grounds in December. He was arrested again on January 22 immediately after Armenia’s Court of Appeals overturned that order at the request of prosecutors.