An appeals court has rejected a motion by lawyers representing Armenia’s second president, Robert Kocharyan, to change his pretrial detention measure, his attorney Aram Orbelyan said.

Orbelyan criticized the ruling, arguing that the court relied on the same grounds used to reject numerous previous motions, according to Sputnik Armenia.

“The decision was made on the same grounds on which many other motions have been rejected. General formal formulations are cited, obviously without a thorough examination of our complaint,” the lawyer said.

Orbelyan said that Kocharyan is accused in one episode of the case of carrying out his constitutional duties. In another, he said, the statute of limitations for the offense expired approximately 20 years ago, while the corresponding period for Kocharyan’s son, Sedrak, expired around 15 years ago.

The lawyer also argued that the court had failed to consider that Kocharyan was under the supervision of National Security Service officers and that his contacts could be monitored if he were placed under house arrest.

“However, the preventive measure is not being reviewed on the grounds that he held a high-ranking position more than 20 years ago. How many years must pass for this to no longer matter? In fact, the higher a person’s position, the lower the likelihood of arrest should be, since, in addition to influence, there is the factor of public recognition, and the risk of a crime becomes lower,” Orbelyan said.

He added that the defense intends to challenge the appeals court’s decision before the Court of Cassation.

Orbelyan also questioned the need to extend Kocharyan’s detention, arguing that the prosecution’s case did not justify keeping him in custody. He noted that 60 investigators were working on the case, although, in his assessment, the volume of materials would be sufficient for 10 investigators.

The lawyer further claimed that the defense still lacked a clear understanding of the specific allegations against Kocharyan, adding that the case contained no substantiation of his guilt.

Kocharyan was detained on August 25 and charged in a case involving the alleged unlawful acquisition of property. According to investigators, during his presidency, he allegedly conspired with others and used his official position to acquire several socially and economically significant properties below market value.

On the morning of August 27, Armenia’s Anti-Corruption Committee announced that Kocharyan had been remanded in custody for two months. His son, Sedrak Kocharyan, is also being held in detention.

The criminal case involves 35 properties linked to the Kocharyan family, and some companies have been sealed.