Yerevan, Jan 17 (Prensa Latina) Armenia's Anti-Corruption Court placed businessman Samvel Karapetyan under house arrest, overturning a lower court's decision to send him to pretrial detention, his lawyer, Aram Vardevanyan, reported.

The Court of Appeals reversed a lower court’s ruling ordering Karapetyan, imprisoned since last June for criticizing Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, to be transferred to house arrest.

“The Anti-Corruption Court hearing lasted 14 hours. Karapetyan was placed under house arrest, combined with bail and a travel ban,” the lawyer said.

He added that the court also lifted the ban imposed on the businessman on December 30, prohibiting him from speaking or making public appeals.

Karapetyan, owner of the Tashir business group, was arrested on June 18 for defending the Armenian Apostolic Church amid verbal attacks against it by the Armenian prime minister.

He is now accused of “publicly calling for the overthrow of the government,” an accusation his defense team has dismissed as ridiculous.

In mid-July, authorities filed another charge against Karapetyan, this time for “money laundering.” His defense team called the charges against the businessman and philanthropist “fabricated” and “illegal.”

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