Manvel Grigorian, a retired Armenian army general facing various criminal charges, failed to appear before a Yerevan court on Tuesday after being forced to leave a civilian hospital.
Grigorian’s absence led the court to adjourn the latest session of his and wife’s high-profile trial which began last month.
Grigorian, who suffers from multiple diseases, was hospitalized in February one month after being arrested again. Investigators transferred him from the private Nairi Medical Center to a prison hospital in Yerevan against his will on Monday.
“We met him this morning,” Grigorian’s lawyer Levon Baghdasarian told the presiding judge. “He is refusing to undergo treatment there, and I want to let you know that he is being held there illegally and that his life is in danger.”
“A person diagnosed with over a dozen diseases has not received treatment for about 12 hours and this is the reason why Mr. Grigorian is not present at the court session today,” said Baghdasarian.
The trial prosecutor, Vahe Dolmazian, dismissed the lawyer’s protests, saying that arrested criminal suspects cannot decide whether they should be held.
Grigorian, who had served as Armenia’s deputy defense minister from 2000-2008, was first arrested in June last year following searches conducted at his properties in and around the town of Echmiadzin. Investigators found there 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 the searches conducted by the National Security Service (NSS) caused shock and indignation in the country.
Grigorian was also charged with tax evasion and extortion in February. His wife, Nazik Amirian, was indicted on some of these charges but not arrested.
Both Grigorian and Amirian pleaded not guilty to the accusations when they went on trial on May 13.