Thursday, June 25 2020 19:13

ArmInfo. Head of the Constitutional Court Hrayr Tovmasyan and judges of the Constitutional Court disagree with the statement of RA Minister of Justice Rustam Badasyan about their forthcoming dismissal.  

<In response to the statement of the Minister of Justice on the  termination of powers of the chairman of the Constitutional Court in  two days and the removal of three more judges from office, we inform:  according to article 167 of the Constitution, the powers of the  Constitutional Court are established by the Constitution, and the  procedure for the formation of composition and activities is  established by the Constitution and the law <On the Constitutional  Court> . The above norm of the constitutional law "On the  Constitutional Court" was not contested in the Constitutional Court,  it was not recognized as contradicting the Constitution, the National  Assembly did not recognize it as null and void and, therefore, it  continues to operate and is subject to enforcement.  Based on the  foregoing, we urge relevant officials not to go beyond the powers  established by the Constitution and laws, as well as beyond the  framework of law and law>, the statement says, by which Hrayr  Tovmasyan and judges A. Gyulumyan, F. Tokhyan and G. Nazaryan signed  .  

Recall that on June 24, Armenian President Armen Sargsyan signed a  package of bills, including those related to amendments to the law on  the Constitutional Court. The relevant amendments were approved by  the National Assembly at an extraordinary meeting on June 22.  According to the proposed amendments, the powers of judges of the  Constitutional Court, who have been in office for more than 12 years,  must be terminated. After the vacant posts of judges are taken, the  election of a new head of the Constitutional Court will take place.   Thus, Hrayr Tovmasyan will lose his post as head of the  Constitutional Court, but will be able to continue to work as a  judge.  

In May of this year, RA Minister of Justice Rustam Badasyan addressed  the Secretary General of the Council of Europe, directing the  <European Commission for Democracy through Law> (Venice Commission)  questions regarding the resolution of the crisis that arose around  the Armenian Constitutional Court. The Venice Commission presented a  positive opinion on three legal issues put forward by the  authorities, emphasized the legitimate aim of the proposed decisions  and their compliance with European standards. We are talking about  the above amendments to the Constitution of Armenia.  

"The Armenian government expresses satisfaction with the effective  cooperation with the Council of Europe and the Venice Commission and  the efforts made that are aimed at the legitimate goal of overcoming  the crisis around the Constitutional Court in the current situation  in accordance with European standards," the RA Ministry of Justice  said in a statement issued earlier.