As a response to 3.09.2010 ad-hoc report of the Public Monitoring group over the Penitentiary Institutions under the Ministry of Justice published on September 9, the comments of the Ministry of Justice have been received today, which confirm the facts recorded by the Group that RA citizen Sarkis Poghosyan was kept in "Nubarashen" Penitentiary Institution for 28 days without court decision. Below the comments of RA Ministry of Justice are presented.

01/3105-10

10.09.2010

To: Mr. Arman Danielyan
Head of the Group of Public Monitors implementingsupervision over the criminal-executive institutions
and bodies of the Ministry of Justice of RA

/Yerevan, Aygestan 11str, house 43/

As a response to your 10-17 letter of September 3, 2010

Dear Mr. Danielyan,

Concerning the issue brought up in the letter mentioned above it was found out that RA citizen Sarkis Manuk Poghosyan is searched by US law enforcement bodies in the form of "diffusion" based on the decision of Eastern district court of Virginia for an attempt of bank fraud. As a result of the search S. Poghosyan was found and arrested and was kept in the "Nubarashen" Penitentiary Institution under the Ministry of Justice based on the official correspondence about the decision of a detention. Necessary means were carried out to get the original documents from the US law enforcement bodies. These documents had not been provided so Sarkis Poghosyan was released. According to the information disseminated by the Prosecutor General's office the original court decision to impose detention as a preventive measure has been received.

Sincerely,  

G. Danielyan

The Ministry of Justice letter in Armenian (jpg)

Ad-hog report sent to the Ministry of Justice (in English)