Criminal Charges Filed Against Former Deputy Prime Minister Armen Gevorgyan

YEREVAN. – Criminal charges have been filed against former Deputy Prime Minister, former Secretary of the National Security Council Armen Gevorgyan during the days of March 1, 2008 crackdown, for interfering with court activities, informed the Special Investigation Service (SIS) of Armenia.

This criminal case has been merged with the criminal case which the SIS is investigating, and into the events that unrolled in capital city Yerevan on March 1 and 2, 2008.

Sasun Khachatryan, Head of the Special Investigation Service, stated that the charges were based on WikiLeaks publication made years ago. “According to that publication, Serzh Sarkisian’s opponents appealed the results of the elections at the Constitutional Court. The Constitutional Court was to make a decision and at that time pressures were exerted against Constitutional Court Judge Valery Poghosyan. The latter applied to the representatives of the U.S. Embassy and informed that pressures are exerted on him from Robert Kocharian’s administration through his brother who at that time worked at the administration of the second President”. He added that they carried investigation in that direction and revealed that Armen Gevorgyan, together with another official, tried to exert pressure on Valery Poghosyan. “Probably they succeeded because finally Valery Poghosyan did not participate in the voting over that case”, Khachatryan added.

He noted that Armen Gevorgyan is charged with undermining the administration of justice. “This is considered a serious crime providing for up to six years imprisonment”, the official said.

Armen Gevorgyan held the position of the Chairman of the National Security Council from June 2007 to April 2008.