The suspended principal conductor of the Malta Philharmonic Orchestra has been acquitted of fraud charges, his lawyers have said. 

Sergey Smbatyan was suspended from his role in the orchestra in July, after international media reported that he and his father - a former Armenian ambassador to Israel - were arrested on charges related to real estate fraud in their native Armenia. 

In a statement, Smbatyan’s lawyers said the Armenian prosecutor’s office had decided to stop pursuing the charges against him.

“Herewith we inform you that by the decision of the Prosecutor of the General Prosecutor’s Office of Armenia dated October 27, 2023, Maestro Sergey Smbatyan was acquitted, and the criminal prosecution against him was ceased on the basis that he did not commit the guilty act,” the statement said. 

At the time of the arrest, the acting CEO of the orchestra Christopher Muscat said that the MPO was “suspending” its relationship with Smbatyan until “the relevant facts and circumstances are ascertained”. 

In Armenia, Smbatyan also serves as the artistic director and principal conductor of the Armenian State Symphony Orchestra. 

In a statement on Facebook, Smbatyan said that the outcome of the legal proceedings against him could only have “one resolution”. 

“That was to clarify unnecessary public misunderstandings and denial of the accusations made against me,” he said. 

“Thank you to everyone who has stood by me over the past months and waited with me in faith for this day. Your faith inspires and keeps me moving.”

Times of Malta asked the MPO and the Culture Ministry whether there were any plans to reinstate Smbatyan as the principal conductor of the orchestra.