ArmInfo. <Canonization> of judges as a way to avoid responsibility for systemic problems is unacceptable. This is stated in a statement issued by RA Prosecutor General's Office in connection with Head of the Supreme Judicial Council Ruben Vardazaryan's interview with the one of the Armenian TV channels, in which he criticized the work of the Prosecutor General's Office and Investigative bodies.
<Ruben Vardazaryan allowed himself expressions addressed to the investigating authorities and the Prosecutor General's Office, which, being incompatible with his official position and the Supreme Judicial Council mission, go beyond the framework of elementary ethical standards and decency, offend the professional pride and dignity of entire systems and their representatives. Pinning labels on criminal prosecution bodies is unacceptable, <canonization> of judges as a way to avoid responsibility for systemic problems, especially if in some cases it is because of the conflicting, unstable behavior of the courts, unreasonable and in some cases illogical decisions made on the basis of unreasonable reasons, sometimes it is not possible to pursue a clear and predictable criminal policy, and in specific cases, the large-scale work of law enforcement agencies to solve crimes and ensure the inevitability of punishment is simply meaningless.
Suffice it to draw attention to cases of unjustified rejection of applications for preventive measures and judicial acts that were set aside by higher courts, as a result of which the defendants commit new crimes or hide from the investigation. There is also the practice of lower courts adopting decisions that are contrary to the spirit of the case-law of the Court of Cassation. All this allows us to get an idea of the variety of existing problems (including those that were raised by the Prosecutor General's Office before the SJC), instead of solving which such a unique way was found to justify them.
We urge you to refrain from making such biased statements that are not based on the common interests of justice, and in a partnership environment, without undue emotionality and tension, to heed the adequate and reasonable requirements of society, in accordance with the law and within the framework of our authority, continue to solve problems existing in our field and carry out reform commitments>, the statement said.
Earlier, the Investigative Committee of the Republic of Armenia, the Special Investigation Service of the Republic of Armenia and the Investigation Department of the SRC of Armenia made a critical statement to the head of the SJC. The outrage caused the fact that on June 23 during a television interview, regarding the issue of public mistrust in the judiciary, Vardazaryan stated that "we have not very competent investigative authorities and inadequate prosecutorial oversight", and that the latter <literally throw poorly investigated cases to the court>. He also stated that "we do not have illiterate judges".