Trial of Former President Robert Kocharyan and Former Officials Continues in Anti-Corruption Court

YEREVAN — The trial of Armenia’s former president Robert Kocharyan and his former subordinates in connection with the “March 1” case is ongoing at the Anti-Corruption Court.

Present at the hearing were Robert Kocharyan, Seyran Ohanyan, Yuri Khachaturov, Armen Gevorgyan, and their defense attorneys.

On August 12 of this year, the Prosecutor General’s Office filed a lawsuit with the Anti-Corruption Court against Robert Kocharyan, former Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces Seyran Ohanyan, former Deputy Minister of Defense Yuri Khachaturov, and former Chief of Staff of the President’s Office Armen Gevorgyan. The prosecution is seeking to recover, jointly and severally, 670 million AMD in damages that had been compensated by the state and the Republic of Armenia.

Based on a ruling by the Constitutional Court, the Court of Cassation on September 12 overturned the decision to dismiss the charges against Kocharyan, Khachaturov, and others, and sent the case back to the Anti-Corruption Criminal Court for a new trial.

The case stems from the events of March 1–2, 2008, in Yerevan. Following an investigation, the Special Investigative Service concluded that the evidence was sufficient to indict Kocharyan, Ohanyan, Khachaturov, and Gevorgyan and send the case to trial.

• Robert Kocharyan was charged under Article 300.1, Part 1, and Article 311, Part 4, Clause 2 of the former Criminal Code for overthrowing the constitutional order and accepting large-scale bribes.
• Seyran Ohanyan was charged under Article 300.1, Part 1, for overthrowing the constitutional order.
• Yuri Khachaturov was charged under Article 300.1, Part 1, for overthrowing the constitutional order.
• Armen Gevorgyan was charged under Article 38-300.1, Part 1; Article 311, Part 4, Clause 2; and Article 190, Part 3, Clause 1, for aiding in the overthrow of the constitutional order, accepting particularly large-scale bribes, and laundering illegally obtained assets.