Arriving at court today in Yerevan at the start of his embezzlement trial, former Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan addressed a large crowd of people who had braved inclement weather to come out and support him.

Taking the loudspeaker, Sargsyan thanked them, but urged them to go home.

"Dear friends, dear supporters, I thank you for coming to support me, and for the most part you have come to defend justice," Sargsyan said, asking the demonstrators to extend his gratitude to their relatives who did not try to persuade them to stay at home given the bad weather,” Sargsyan said.

It either snowed or rained before the trial commenced and afterwards.

"Given the weather and the fact that there is still hope in Armenia for judges for whom justice is above everything, just as for me, for you, and for most of the Armenian people, Nagorno Karabakh independence is above everything. So please go back home and deal with your daily worries, never forgetting about the security of Armenia. I have repeatedly stated from the highest tribunes of the world, and now I repeat, Nagorno-Karabakh will never be part of Azerbaijan. This has been the highest goal of my life, it will accompany me to the end, everywhere,” Sargsyan said.

Sargsyan is charged with masterminding the embezzlement of 489 million drams (just over $1 million) in 2013 from a state-sponsored diesel fuel assistance program, got underway today in Yerevan.

There are four other defendants in the case: former Minister of Agriculture Sergo Karapetyan; Flash gasoline company owner Barsegh Beglaryan; former Deputy Minister of Agriculture Samvel Galstyan; and former Chief of Crop Management Department Gevorg Harutyunyan.

At the start of the trial, Sargsyan’s defense lawyers filed a motion demanding that State Prosecutor Arsen Martirosyan recuse himself from the case. They allege that the criminal investigation was rife with violations and shortcomings.

Prosecutor Arsen Martirosyan

Sargsyan defense lawyer Ruben Hakobyan claims that the investigating body shirked its duty and did not take adequate steps to uncover evidence favorable to the former president.

"I call on Arsen Martirosyan, the prosecutor defending the illegal charge, to demonstrate civil courage and to withdrawal. If not, I will challenge Arsen Martirosyan," Hakobyan declared in court.

Prosecutor Martirosyan described the recusal motion baseless and said he would not step down. He called the claims that the preliminary investigation was faulty as “abstract”.

Tomorrow, the court will issue its ruling on the motion to recuse Prosecutor Martirosyan.