YEREVAN (Noyan Tapan)–In a Yerevan court presided over by Judge Gagik Poghossian–the hearing of the Armen Ter-Sahakian case resumed Tuesday.
The hearing opened with a New Year carol sung by the principal defendant–Armen Ter-Sahakian–who also demanded that Santa Claus and his granddaughter–Snow-Maiden–should be invited.
The testimony given during the preliminary investigation by witnesses in the case Artur Vardanian–Arshavir Haroutiunian–Samvel and Azniv Dalayan–Seiran Margarian–Arshak Shahnazarian–Nune Poghossian who did not attend the trial were made public in court on January 11. According to witness Artur Vardanian–defendant Israel Sargssian told him about an attempt on the life of Vladimir Grigorian–the Chief of the Investigation Department of the Procurator’s Office.
According to witness Arshavir Haroutiunian–the same Israel Sargssian informed him that the case instituted in connection with the attempted murder had been dismissed as "the chief had settled all issues," saying that the chief was a man named Samvel employed by the president’s administration (the conversation took place in 1997).
Witness Nune Poghossian said her husband–Armen Sindonian–had been brutally beaten by Armen Ter-Sahakian’s bullies at Ter-Sahakian’s summer cottage in Dzoraghbiur.
The defendants claimed the testimony to be false and asked the judge to interrogate the witnesses in court but the judge rejected all their pleas. More testimony will be announced later on.