The owner of the "Shant" restaurant complex, Yura Garibyan, also known as "Shanti Yura," has testified against Agvan Hovsepyan.
26-06-2026 15:38 Armenia Press of Diaspora
arm.sputniknews Agvan Vardanyan claims that prosecutors are constantly asking leading questions to the witness known as "Shanti Yura" in order to prove some intent.
Yura Garibyan, the owner of the "Shant" restaurant complex, testified against former head of the RA Investigative Committee and former Prosecutor General Agvan Hovsepyan during the next session of the case.
It should be noted that Agvan Hovsepyan is accused of several articles, including illegal participation in entrepreneurial activities, receiving bribes in particularly large amounts, money laundering, and other offenses. A total of 54 individuals are involved in this case, including witnesses and victims, most of whom have testified against the former Prosecutor General. The session is taking place in the RA Anti-Corruption Court.
Public prosecutor Koryun Serobyan asked "Shanti Yura" whether he was under threats when he gave 50% of the shares of a television company worth around 500,000 USD (referring to "Yerevan" TV - editor's note) to Agvan Hovsepyan's son. The prosecutor also emphasized that Garibyan spoke about threats during the previous session.
"There were fabricated cases at that time to steal the property I created. All of this was mainly done by Manvel Garibyan (brother of Shant Garibyan, with whom he has a bad relationship - editor's note) under the leadership of Agvan Hovsepyan. I had fears that I could be arrested, tried. There were already criminal cases against me during the sale of the television company, starting from 2007," Garibyan said.
He emphasized that at that time, he did not have the status of a defendant. The businessman stressed that Hovsepyan never visited the television company and did not make any actions or investments. He assured that he made all the investments himself and has kept the accounting documents and receipts to this day.
Agvan Hovsepyan stated that he does not accept the charges. He noted that public prosecutors are constantly asking leading questions to the witness to prove some intent.
"Public prosecutors ask the witness questions not to reveal any circumstances or facts related to me, but to fit them to their imagined phenomenon. The witness has never said that I threatened him, but they ask questions using the expression 'when did I threaten you,'" Hovsepyan said.
Serobyan clarified why they mentioned the expression "threaten." He emphasized that the witness has stated several times that he was forced to sell 50% of the shares and then was again forced to give 50% of the sale amount to Agvan Hovsepyan.
Garibyan emphasized that at that time he was close to Hovsepyan, and there was no direct threat during that transaction, but there was such a posture and atmosphere that he perceived it as a threat. He noted that at that time he thought that if he did not do what Hovsepyan said, he could have problems.
Recall that the RA Special Investigative Service announced on September 7, 2021, that Agvan Hovsepyan is accused of receiving a bribe of 190 million drams, committing fraud to steal property worth 800 million drams, and legalizing property worth 1 billion 299 million drams obtained through criminal means (money laundering). Later, the SIS submitted a request to detain Hovsepyan.
He was arrested on September 7, 2021, and then detained.
On August 11, 2022, Agvan Hovsepyan's measure of restraint was changed. He was released on a bail of 100 million drams and a signature not to leave.
* This text was automatically translated by Artificial Intelligence (AI).
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