YEREVAN. – Constitutional Court President Hrayr Tovmasyan's resignation, or refusal do to so, has nothing to do with the criminal case of former National Assembly (NA) Deputy Chief of Staff Arsen Babayan; the Special Investigation Service (SIS) is not involved in politics. Chief of Armenia’s SIS Sasun Khachatryan told this to reporters today, answering the question if a criminal case would have been brought against Babayan if Tovmasyan had resigned.

To the observation that the legal defenders of Arsen Babayan and NA ex-speaker Ara Babloyan state that there is political persecution, he replied: “The SIS is beyond political oversight, governed only by law. And the defenders’ statements are their job, to protect his client in ways not prohibited by law; now they have chosen that path, I cannot comment."

Regarding the restraint imposed on Arsen Babayan and the prohibition of his visitation rights, the SIS chief said: "In each particular case, the investigator assesses what preventive measures are in place to ensure the proper conduct of the accused. In this case, the investigating investigator has come to the conclusion that Arsen Babayan's proper conduct can only be ensured under conditions of detention; it was for these reasons that his visitation rights were banned."

Asked why Arsen Babayan is considered a dangerous criminal to the public, he said: "The degree of danger of the crime plays a certain role in the choice of precautionary measure. But in choosing the precautionary measure the basis is to ensure the proper conduct of the accused."

When asked if amnesty applies on the act, the person may be arrested, Khachatryan said: "In the case of amnesty, the person must agree not to prosecute on a non-justified basis; in this case Babayan has not expressed such a desire."