Court denies request for Gagik Tsarukyan’s arrest

The Yerevan Court of General Jurisdiction, presided over by judge Robert Papoyan, has ruled against the arrest of opposition Prosperous Armenia Party leader, lawmaker Gagik Tsarukyan.

His lawyer Yerem Sargsyan told reporters outside the court building on Sunday that the court had rejected the motion to arrest the MP.

“The court was able to stand above the political processes," Sargsyan added.

The National Security Service (NSS) charged Tsarukyan with vote buying, tax evasion and illegal land appropriation last week. Armenian lawmakers voted to strip the opposition leader of immunity from prosecution on Tuesday, moving to push through the criminal proceedings against him.

Tsarukyan denies any wrongdoing, dismissing the charges as politically motivated. The MP claims the accusations against him came after his harsh criticism of the Armenian government at the June 5 meeting of his party.