Kocharyan`s due process behavior after his release from previous arrests calls into question the need to extend the current one - statement

ArmInfo. The second president of Armenia, Robert Kocharyan, has demonstrated appropriate procedural conduct since his release from previous arrests, calling into question the need to extend his current one. This was stated in a statement by the office of the second president of Armenia on Facebook.

They recalled that, according to the Anti-Corruption Committee, the second president of Armenia may evade investigation, and therefore it is necessary to keep him in custody. "This is Robert Kocharyan's fourth arrest since 2018. The previous three arrests were related to a criminal case based on Article 300.1 (overthrow of the constitutional order - ed.), which the Constitutional Court declared unconstitutional and invalid in 2021. Meanwhile, after his release from previous arrests, Robert Kocharyan has always demonstrated appropriate procedural conduct. This circumstance also casts serious doubt on the need for his further arrest, especially given the perceived risk of evading the investigation," the office of Armenia's second president stated.

The court hearing to determine the pretrial detention of Armenia's second president, Robert Kocharyan, and his son, Sedrak Kocharyan, begins at 6:00 PM Yerevan time.

On August 25, National Security Council officers conducted searches of the apartment of Levon Kocharyan, an MP from the opposition Armenia faction and the son of Armenia's second president, and of companies affiliated with the Kocharyan family. Robert Kocharyan and Sedrak Kocharyan were then detained and taken to the Anti-Corruption Committee for questioning. That same day, Robert Kocharyan was charged with large-scale money laundering, abuse of office (in connection with the ratification of government decisions - ed.), and accepting a large bribe. Nine other individuals were also charged in the case. On August 27, the Anti-Corruption Court ordered Kocharyan's pretrial detention for two months.

It should be added that members of the second Armenian president's political party attribute his arrest to an attempt to neutralize a key member of the opposition amid the Armenian government's readiness to make further concessions to Azerbaijan.