Lawyer: Victim's family welcomes verdict in fatal crash involving Pashinyan's motorcade

A court in Yerevan has delivered a guilty verdict in the fatal road accident involving a vehicle from Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s motorcade, leaving the victim’s family satisfied with the outcome.

Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, Raffi Aslanyan, a lawyer representing the victim's family, stated that the court confirmed police officer Aram Navasardyan’s guilt based on the evidence examined during trial. Sentencing will be addressed in upcoming hearings.

"At this stage, the court has only ruled on the issue of guilt. The verdict reflects the scope and substance of the evidence reviewed during the proceedings and we are satisfied with the outcome,” Aslanyan said.

Navasardyan, the commander of the traffic police escort unit, was found guilty under Armenia’s 2003 Criminal Code, namely Article 242 (traffic violation resulting in death) and Article 244 (fleeing the scene of an accident). According to Aslanyan, sentencing will be applied under Article 242 only, which carries a maximum prison term of five years under the applicable law.

The fatal incident occurred at the intersection of Paronyan and Leo Streets in Yerevan on 26 April 2022. Navasardyan struck 28-year-old Sona Mnatsakanyan with a Toyota Prado while escorting Pashinyan’s convoy. The victim, who was pregnant at the time, died from her injuries in hospital.

The trial spanned nearly three years. Aslanyan criticized the defense for engaging in what he described as "legal blackmail", citing attempts to shift blame by implying the victim may have crossed the street intentionally. He dismissed the claims as both ethically and legally inappropriate.

The victim’s family raised no objections to the verdict as the court fully acknowledged Navasardyan’s culpability.