Why did you hit and kill him, Tigran? Conversation outside ex-governor’s house was decoded (video)
New materials have sprung up around the high-profile criminal case that involves a former governor of Syunik region and his son. They confirm the guilt of ex-governor Surik Khahatryan, his son Tigran Khachatryan and his bodyguard Zarznd Nikoghosyan in a shootout outside Khachatryan's house on June 1, 2013, lawyer Hayk Alumyan told reporters today. The lawyer says they had not had an opportunity to view the materials but now the case will be reheard in court. The materials show that it was Surik Khachatryan who hit Avetik Budaghyan, a local businessman who had tense relations with the controversial governor. Budaghyan was shot and killed in a gunfight that also involved his brother Artak. Earlier, Zarzand Nikoghosyan announced that he had hit Avetik Budaghyan. The conversations outside Khachatryan’s mansion were also recorded. “Why did you hit and kill him, Tigran? Damn you, Tigran!” Hayk Alupyan cited a sentence from the decoding. Tigran Khachatryan and Zarzand Nikoghosyan, were arrested following the June 2013 shootout in Goris, a town in Syunik region. They both were charged with murder and illegal arms possession. Suren Khachatryan’s men clashed with Avetik Budaghyan and his brother Artak for still unclear reasons. Avetik was shot dead while Artak, who is an Armenian army colonel, was seriously wounded in the incident that led to Khachatryan’s sacking by the Armenian government. The Armenian Defense Ministry said that its Investigative Department, which is handling the high-profile criminal case, had concluded that the gunshots fired by Tigran Khachatryan and Nikoghosyan constituted legitimate self-defense. Military investigators therefore dropped the charges leveled against the two suspects and released them from pre-trial detention. At the same time charges were brought against Artak Budaghyan for assaulting Khachatryan’s mansion.
