Kocharyan to remain under arrest

Judge Anna Danibekyan of the Yerevan Court of General Jurisdiction of Shengavit District on Tuesday announced a ruling on the demands of ex-President Robert Kocharyan’s lawyers.

“The court has decided to reject the motion,” she said.

Kocharyan’s lawyers had petitioned Danibekyan to free the former president and end his prosecution, citing the Constitutional Court’s September 4 decision to partly accept an appeal filed by them.

The court resumed the trial of Kocharyan and three other former officials – former Defense Minister Seyran Ohanyan, ex-CSTO Secretary General Yuri Khachaturov and former Deputy Prime Minister Armen Gevorgyan – on 12 September.

According to the indictment, Kocharyan is charged with overthrowing Armenia’s constitutional order during the March 1-2, 2008 post-election unrest in Yerevan, abusing his powers and taking a bribe of large amount during his tenure from 1998 to 2008.

Seyran Ohanyan and Yuri Khachaturov, who served as Armenia’s deputy defense minister in 2008, have also been charged with an overthrow of the constitutional order during the post-election events.

Meanwhile, Armen Gevorgyan is charged with assistance to an overthrow of the constitutional order, corruption and money laundering. The former president is currently remanded in pre-trial custody. Ohanyan and Gevorgyan have been released on a signature bond, while Khachaturov has been set free on bail.