Former Armenian Prime Minister Hovik Abrahamyan has been placed under house arrest after a court rejected the motion to detain him, his lawyer Yerem Sargsyan announced via Facebook.

Abrahamyan is facing charges of abuse of official power and legalizing property allegedly of criminal origin, including land plots.

“In a court hearing that lasted about seven hours, we presented detailed arguments that the charges are unfounded and that the criminal case lacks supporting evidence. We also noted that Abrahamyan had previously faced similar charges, during which a non-custodial preventive measure—signing a pledge not to leave—was applied. He consistently complied with legal requirements and did not hinder the investigation in any way during the past seven years. Therefore, requesting his detention now based on evidence gathered back in 2018–2019 is absolutely unlawful,” the lawyer explained.

Following the review, the court decided to reject the motion to detain Hovik Abrahamyan and imposed house arrest instead, the lawyer added.

Abrahamyan was arrested on June 13.