Former Armenian defence official to face trial

Former Armenian Deputy Defence Minister Alik Mirzabekyan will be summoned to court as part of the criminal case against former Armenian Defence Minister David Tonoyan and the ministry’s former officials.

Mirzabekyan was relieved of his post as deputy defence minister - head of the logistics department - by order of then-president Serzh Sargsyan in 2016, Caliber.Az reports, citing the Yerevan-based newspaper Zhokhovurd.

He is said to have supplied weapons and foodstuffs at above-market prices. A court hearing was held on March 27 at the Anti-Corruption Court in Tonoyan’s and the former ministry officials’ case. Witnesses were summoned to the court, including Tonayan’s predecessors, the head of the parliamentary faction of the "Armenia" bloc, Seyran Ohanyan.

A criminal case is known to have been opened in the investigation department of the National Security Service over alleged abuses in the ammunition procurement process.

As the newspaper reported, seven persons, including former Tonoyan, former Chief of General Staff of the Armenian Armed Forces Artak Davtyan, former Deputy Chief of General Staff Stepan Galstyan, and businessman David Galstyan (Patron Davo), who was involved in arms supplies, are facing criminal charges.