In Samvel Babayan's case, a witness denies charges of importing "Igla" to Armenia

A man-portable air-defence system (MANPADS) "Igla", for which illegal import Samvel Babayan, former Nagorno-Karabakh Minister of Defence, was sentenced, did not cross the Armenian-Georgian border. This was announced at trial by Robert Agvanyan, who was selling the MANPADS.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on March 22, 2017, the National Security Service of Armenia announced the detention of two persons who possessed the MANPADS "Igla". On November 28, the court in Yerevan recognized the Samvel Babayan's involvement in the importation of the MANPADS into the country and sentenced him to six years of imprisonment. The opposition and Samvel Babayan himself called his arrest politically motivated.

On February 16, Robert Agvanyan testified at a hearing of the Court of Appeal in the Samvel Babayan's case. The witness stated that the MANPADS "Igla" was not transported from Georgia, but always stayed in the basement of his house in Echmiadzin, reports the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent who attended the trial.

It should be noted that Samvel Babayan insisted on interrogation of Robert Agvanyan. The convict demanded to interrogate a key witness who was not interrogated during the trial at the first instance court. Samvel Babayan claimed he would be able to prove that the MANPADS "Igla" had not been transported from Georgia to Armenia.

According to Robert Agvanyan, he found the MANPADS "Igla" in his basement in 2010, when he wanted to sell the house. Robert Agvanyan noted that his father rendered great assistance during the Karabakh war, and since that time the MANPADS had been stored in the basement of the house.

Full text of the article is available on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’.