Anahit Baghdasaryan

Avtandil Martiashvili, one the two men charged with involvement in Armenia’s largest drug bust made a motion at yesterday’s trial for the state prosecutor to recuse himself.

Martiashvili, a Georgian citizen who was driving a truck when 850 kilos of heroin were seized on January 17, 2014 at the Meghri customs house, argued that Prosecutor A. Panosyan had preconceived beliefs about the case and that he should resign.

The defendant, one of whose attorneys never showed up at the Goris branch of the Syunik Court of Jurisdiction, also demanded that the court appointed interpreter be dismissed as well due to a lack of quality work. Martiashvili claimed that the translations from Armenian to Georgian are so poor that he can’t understand what the prosecutor is saying.

After a short recess, Judge D. Grigoryan rejected these self-recusal motions and another motion made by the defendant to have the trial postponed to the end of next January.

The judge noted that this was just an unwarranted delaying tactic by Martiashvili.

Meanwhile, the attorney of Turkish citizen Osman Oğurlu, who heads the company that had leased the truck in question and who has been charged with the illegal turnover of narcotic drugs or psychotropic materials with the purpose of manufacture or sale, told the court that insufficient evidence had been presented to find his client guilty.

Oğurlu then addressed the court: “You are charging me with the sale of an item I have nothing to do with. I do not consider myself a criminal. The national security service and police of Turkey know this to be the case. I ask that you find me not guilty.”

Since only one of Martiashvili’s attorneys made closing remarks, the court postponed the trial session till December 27.

Photo (from left): Avtandi Martiashvili, Osman Oğurlu