Armenian prosecutor general's office appeals acquittal of ex-president

Armenia's prosecutor general's office has filed an appeal against the acquittal of ex-President Serzh Sargsyan in the Anti-Corruption Court of Appeals. 

On May 31, Serzh Sargsyan was acquitted in the "diesel case" due to a lack of evidence of a crime. Other defendants in the case, Barsegh Beglaryan and Gevork Arutyunyan, were also acquitted, Caliber.Az reports, citing Armenian media.

The charges against Sargsyan alleged that he had helped "Flash" company, an oil importer, win a tender in 2013 for the supply of subsidized diesel fuel to farmers, despite the company offering a price $1 million higher than competitors. Nevertheless, "Flash" was awarded the contract.

The case also implicated Barsegh Beglaryan, owner of "Flash," and Gevork Arutyunyan, who headed the Crop Production Department at the Agriculture Ministry in 2013. The prosecutor initially recommended that Sargsyan be found guilty but exempted from criminal liability due to the expiration of the statute of limitations. 

Sargsyan denied all charges, and his lawyer opposed the prosecutor's suggestion. The case originally included former Agriculture Minister Sergo Karapetyan and his deputy Samvel Galstyan, but proceedings against them were dropped due to their deaths.