Wednesday, January 9 2019 20:34

ArmInfo.The court of first instance of the Shengavit district of Yerevan for the second time postponed consideration of the petition for release on bail of the  ex-President of Armenia Robert Kocharyan, accused of overthrowing the  constitutional order. The defense believes that the petition is  deliberately delayed.

The lawyer of the former president Hayk Alumyan told journalists that  the petition will be considered by the court tomorrow, January 10.  The reason for this decision was the petition of the investigator and  the prosecutor, who asked the judge Nelli Baghdasaryan to recuse  himself. The defense opposed. According to Alumyan, the demand for  the judge's self-withdrawal is related to the decision she made  earlier in another case, which is not related to Kocharyan. The  lawyer refrained from commenting on which case he meant.  "The court  left to the consultation room. The decision on the petition of the  prosecution will be announced tomorrow at 2.00pm (1:00pm Moscow  time)," Alumyan said. If the judge on Thursday declares her  withdrawal, the meeting on January 10 will not continue.

According to the Kocharyan's defense, consideration of the petition  to change the measure of restraint is unreasonably delayed. "When  they (the prosecution, ed. note) submit a petition for arrest, the  court session is delayed for the whole night, only to ensure arrest.  Now, when the issue of releasing a person on bail is being  considered, the meeting will probably be delayed for 10 days'',  Alumyan said. At the same time, the lawyer refrained from naming the  amount of the proposed pledge.

To recall, Robert Kocharyan is accused under Art. 300.1 of the  Criminal Code of Armenia in overthrowing the constitutional system in  the framework of the criminal case on the dispersal of protest  actions on March 1, 2008. On December 7, the Court of Appeal upheld  the verdict of the first instance for the arrest of the 2nd President  of the Republic of Armenia Robert Kocharian. Without waiting for the  transfer of the verdict to the investigator, Robert Kocharyan himself  came to the "Kentron" penitentiary unit, where he was later arrested.  The office of the second president of Armenia called the arrest a  political vendetta. The RPA, however, qualified this as pre-election  pressure from the current government on political opponents. On  December 28, the Court of General Jurisdiction of Yerevan postponed  consideration of the petition of the lawyers of ex-President of  Armenia Robert Kocharian for release on bail till January 9, 2019.  The day before, on January 8, in an interview with ArmInfo  correspondent, Alumyan also noted that the defense intends to appeal  to the Constitutional Court. "We believe that the laws, in the  interpretation they were applied to Robert Kocharian, are  unconstitutional. In particular, the matter concerns the repeal by  the Court of Cassation of the decision of the Court of Appeal to  change the measure of restraint regarding Kocharyan and refer the  case back to the Court of Appeal," Alumyan said.