Armenian court to hold hearing on extradition of Hrachya Harutyunyan
On June 16, it will become clear when Hrachya Harutyunyan will be transferred to Armenia, Victor Martirosyan, the father of Harutyunyan’s wife, told A1+ Company. Relatives of Hrachya Harutyunyan, an Armenian truck driver sentenced to 6 years and 9 months in prison by a Moscow court, were informed about it by the Ministry of Justice. On April 25, Victor Martirosyan met with Deputy Minister of Justice to discuss Hrachya’s possible extradition to Armenia. During the meeting, he was informed that Hrachya would be transferred to Armenia in a month or two. The families of the 18 victims have received 18 mln rubles in compensation from Ara Abrahamyan, Chairman of the Union of Armenians of Russia. This means that financial liabilities are removed and Hrachya Harutyunyan can serve the rest of his sentence in Armenia. Some sources say that the Armenian and Russian sides are discussing the option of exchanging Harutyunyan with Valery Permyakov, a Russian serviceman charged with the murder of a seven-member Armenian family in January 2015. That is, when Permyakov is transferred to Russia, it will be immediately announced also that Harutyunyan will be handed over to the RA law enforcement. On July 13, 2013 the gravel-loaded truck driven by Hrachya Harutyunyan, an Armenian citizen working in Russia, collided with a packed commuter bus outside the Russian capital. The impact of the crash was so powerful that the bus had split in two. The accident claimed 18 lives and injured more than forty others. The investigation revealed that the accident resulted from poor maintenance of the truck resulting in a brake malfunction. Harutyunyan, according to investigators, was to know about it. In August, a Moscow district court sentenced Hrachya Harutyunyan to 6 years and 9 months in prison on charges of ‘violating traffic and vehicle operation rules, which unwittingly led to the death of two or more persons.’ Harutyunyan has health problems. His relatives believe after his transfer to Armenia he will undergo operations.
