YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 10, ARMENPRESS. Former Minister of Finance and former President of the State Revenue Committee Gagik Khachatryan has filed a motion to the Court of Appeals against his pre-trial detention, the ex-official’s lawyer Amram Makinyan told ARMENPRESS.

Khachatryan was taken into custody on August 27th in pursuance of an arrest warrant issued by a court of first instance.

He is suspected in embezzlement and misconduct.

Authorities had earlier reported that 800,000,000 drams in damages to the state have already been recovered amid the investigation.

Khachatryan’s nephew, an ex-official of the State Revenue Committee, is also under arrest.

According to preliminary information during Khachatryan’s tenure as State Revenue Committee president the tax agency hired paid personnel in an employment fraud scheme.

Edited and translated by Stepan Kocharyan