RA Prosecutor General`s Office to once again request Russia to  extradite Gevork Kostanyan, Vahagn Harutyunyan

ArmInfo. The defendants in the March 1, 2008, case are former Prosecutor General Gevork Kostanyan and the former head of the investigative team investigating the events of March 1. Vahagn Harutyunyan, according to the Armenian side, is in Russia. This was stated by Armenia's Prosecutor General  Anna Vardapetyan on November 18 during parliamentary hearings.

According to the Prosecutor General, both former high-ranking  officials are accused of abuse of office, falsification of evidence,  and distortion of the investigation in the March 1 case. They are not  directly involved in the events of March 1 and 2, but are linked to  further abuse of power, she explained.

Vardapetyan noted that Armenia will appeal to Russia for their  extradition. "We are working with Russia within the framework of a  multilateral agreement, the Chisinau Convention, but the Russian side  has not yet agreed to extradite these individuals."

The RA Prosecutor General's Office will soon resubmit a petition to  the Russian Federation requesting a reconsideration of the previously  rejected petition," the Prosecutor General emphasized.

Furthermore, the Prosecutor General's Office is currently challenging  the legality of the property acquired by Gevork Kostanyan and his  wife. Currently, the case involving Kostanyan's wife, Lilit  Kostanyan, has been submitted to court.

"In addition to the March 1 case, the Kostanyans are also accused of  abuse of power and money laundering," she noted, stating that, unlike  Gevork Kostanyan, his wife is in the RA.

As a reminder, on March 1, 2008, following the presidential elections  held on February 19, which were won by Serzh Sargsyan, riots broke  out in Yerevan, culminating in clashes with law enforcement. The  Armenian opposition, led by first President Levon Ter-Petrosyan, who  also ran in the election, held rallies in central Yerevan beginning  February 20, expressing dissatisfaction with the vote results. The  protests erupted on March 1-2 into riots and clashes between  protesters and law enforcement, resulting in 10 deaths, including  police officers, and over 200 injuries of varying severity. On August  17, 2018, Nikol Pashinyan declared that the case surrounding the  events of March 1-2, 2008, in Yerevan had been fully resolved.   However, to date, none of those responsible have been held  accountable for the crime.