The current prosecutor-general, Artur Davtian, will complete his six-year term in office on September 15. He was appointed in 2016 by the country’s former parliament dominated by then President Serzh Sarkisian’s loyalists.
Pashinian and his political allies, who control the current National Assembly, decided not to appoint Davtian for a second term.
Their candidate for the post, Anna Vardapetian, served as a deputy minister of justice in 2019 and became Pashinian’s assistant on legal affairs in March 2020.
Vardapetian refused to talk to reporters both before and after meeting with Civil Contract’s parliamentarians behind the closed doors on Thursday. She did not honor her promise to “answer all your questions after the meeting.”
The ruling party’s parliamentary leader, Hayk Konjorian, insisted that Vardapetian will not act on government orders in her new capacity.
“I can express confidence that Ms. Vardapetian will definitely act within the bounds of Armenia’s constitution and laws and her conscience,” Konjorian told journalists.
Vardapetian became embroiled in a scandal last year after an Armenian media outlet published purported evidence of her interference in a criminal investigation into a fugitive businessman critical of Pashinian’s government.
The online publication, 168.am, posted what it described as screenshots of an e-mail sent by Vardapetian to a senior law-enforcement officer leading the investigation. It said that the letter contained instructions regarding businessman Ruben Hayrapetian’s indictment.
Hayrapetian’s lawyer seized upon the allegation, saying that Vardapetian committed a crime and must be prosecuted.
The Office of the Prosecutor-General cleared Pashinian’s aide of any wrongdoing, however, saying that she advised, rather than pressured, the investigator. Vardapetian has still not publicly commented on the scandal.
Davtian, the outgoing prosecutor, has also been accused by government critics, including ex-President Sarkisian’s allies, of covering up government abuses and bringing politically motivated cases against Pashinian’s foes. He has denied such allegations.
