Another Court Blocks Arrest Of Former Kocharian Aide

Armenia’s Court of Appeals on Tuesday upheld a lower court’s decision not to allow investigators to arrest a former senior aide to former President Robert Kocharian on a string of criminal charges.

Armen Gevorgian was first charged in August with obstructing justice in the wake of a disputed presidential election held in February 2008 two months before Kocharian served out his second and final term.

In early December, Armenia’s Special Investigative Service (SIS) also accused Gevorgian of involvement in an “overthrow of the constitutional order,” bribery and money laundering. The SIS asked a district court to sanction his pre-trial arrest.

The court refused to do that, leading prosecutors to lodge an appeal. The Office of the Prosecutor-General did not immediately say whether it will now appeal to the Court of Cassation, the country’s highest body of criminal justice.

Gevorgian’s lawyer, Erik Aleksanian, hailed the appeals court’s “just” ruling, saying that the prosecutors failed to substantiate their claims that his client could go into hiding or obstruct the ongoing investigation into the 2008 post-election violence in Yerevan. “We have no doubts about the independence of our judicial system,” Aleksanian said.

Gevorgian himself was reluctant to talk to reporters, saying that he is not allowed to divulge details of the probe.

The SIS brought the three accusations against Gevorgian four days after Kocharian was arrested on charges of illegally using the armed forces against opposition supporters who protested in Yerevan on March 1-2, 2008. The SIS says that amounted to an “overthrow of the constitutional order.”

The former president strongly denies any wrongdoing. He says that Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian is waging a political “vendetta” against him.

The obstruction of justice charge brought against Gevorgian also stems from the 2008 election. Gevorgian was the chief of Kocharian’s staff at the time.

The SIS claims that he pressured a member of Armenia’s Constitutional Court to uphold the official vote results that gave victory to Kocharian’s preferred successor, Serzh Sarkisian. Gevorgian, who also held senior positions in Sarkisian’s government, denies this and other accusations.

The SIS has yet to publicize details of its corruption case against Gevorgian. It has only said that the latter had received a massive bribe.