The court decided to arrest the former head of the investigation team  in the case of March 1, 2008 

ArmInfo. The Court of General Jurisdiction of Yerevan decided to use a two-month arrest against the former deputy head of the Investigative Committee of Armenia Vahagn Harutyunyan as a measure of restraint in the framework of the March 1, 2008 case, the  investigation of which was once headed by the Harutyunyan himself.

The defense of Harutyunyan found this decision illegal and intends to  appeal it in the Court of Appeal. The lawyer Mihran Poghosyan told  reporters that pressure was put on the court. According to him, the  announcement of Harutyunyan on the international wanted list was also  illegal, since the investigating body was informed about the  whereabouts of the former deputy head of the Investigation Committee,  who is currently in Moscow and is undergoing inpatient treatment  there. Earlier, ArmIfno reported that charges were brought against  the former head of the investigative team in the March 1 case and an  expert ballista.

During the preliminary investigation of the events of March 1-2,  2008, it turned out that the former head of the investigative group  V.H., in 2007-2011 occupying the position of senior investigator for  particularly important cases of the SIS, together with other  investigators, police officers and with the assistance of forensic  expert A.A. forged evidence. According to the prosecution, having  received the proceedings of the events of March 1, he was appointed  head of the group. During the investigation, participation in the  events of various units of the Defense Ministry of Armenia and their  use of weapons during clashes between demonstrators and law  enforcement forces were revealed. Meanwhile, the head of the  investigative group did not take measures to clarify the  circumstances of the killing of a group of people, abused his  position, together with some members of the group and the police,  with the assistance of a ballistic expert, hid the traces of the  crime, forging evidence.

In particular, by decision of March 5, 2008 during the examination,  V.H. and the investigator of the same group invited a representative  of the commanding staff of the police forces and stated that in order  to conceal the participation of units of the Defense Ministry and to  deny rumors about their actions, it is necessary to exchange about  1000 cartridges found at the scene of the incident for police  cartridges. The high-ranking police officer of the police force, in  turn, ordered his subordinates to carry out the assignment.  The  required number of shots was fired at the shooting range in the  village of Getazat, Ararat region. Then the shells were handed over  to the SIS and provided to the expert in the person of .A. The  latter, assisting V.H., carrying out his order, replaced the liners  and entered the required information on the results of the  examination into the documents. Further, on December 30, 2008,  falsified evidence was attached to the criminal case. "For the  falsification of evidence in a criminal case of particular gravity,  V.H. was charged under paragraph 1 of article 38-349 of the Criminal  Code. Expert A.A. was similarly charged with promoting the  falsification of evidence.

V.H. and A.A. are declared wanted. The SIS filed a petition to the  court to apply arrest as a measure of restraint. The preliminary  investigation of the case is underway, "the report of the  investigating body reads.  To recall, on July 17, Nikol Pashinyan  signed a decree on the release of Major General Vahagn Harutyunyan  from the post of Deputy Chairman of the Investigative Committee, head  of the main department for investigating particularly important cases  on his own statement. In 2008-2011, Harutyunyan headed the  investigation team in the case of the riots on March 1, 2008 and  repeatedly assured the media that the case of the events of March 1  was being investigated in full volume. Harutyunyan himself considers  the case fabricated and does not accept the charges.