Prosperous Armenia Party (BHK) head Gagik Tsarukyan and his lawyers failed to appear at today’s Yerevan Court of General Jurisdiction hearing to review a National Security Service (NSS) motion to arrest Tsarukyan who has been charged with vote buying during the 2017 Yerevan Municipal Council election.

Reporters on the scene were not able to contact Tsarukyan’s defense team for clarification.

The same court, on June 21, rejected a NSS motion to detain Tsarukyan. The Court of Appeals overturned this decision and dent the case back to the lower court for a new hearing.

Tsarukyan has rejected the vote buying charge, describing it as a politically inspired government vendetta against him.

In June, the Armenian National Assembly voted to strip MP Tsarukyan of his parliamentary immunity.

Tsarukyan, whose Shangri La casino has been charged with illegal business activity, has criticized the Pashinyan government for mismanaging its response to the coronavirus pandemic and the resultant economic downturn.