During an interview with Armenian News-NEWS.am, Emin Khachatryan, attorney of leader of the Prosperous Armenia Party Gagik Tsarukyan, said the motion to arrest Tsarukyan will be examined in the Yerevan court of general jurisdiction in Shengavit Administrative District.

“Even if the court notifies me and my client that the trial will be held in the morning, we will file a motion with the court so that the trial is held in the afternoon because we have received a large number of materials and need time to become familiar with them. There are about 150 pages of materials,” Khachatryan said, adding that Gagik Tsarukyan has been engaged as accused-on-trial under a case of electoral bribes.

“Unfortunately, the trial will be held behind closed doors, or else you would see that this is an overtly groundless case,” he said, adding that there is no testimony against Tsarukyan. “We have filed a motion to organize a confrontation with the person who will testify against Tsarukyan, if there is such a person.”

Today, the National Assembly of Armenia approved Prosecutor General Artur Davtyan’s two petitions to strip Gagik Tsarukyan of parliamentary immunity and deprive him of his liberty.

The Prosperous Armenia Party and Bright Armenia Party didn’t participate in the vote, and 87 deputies of the My Step faction voted in favor of the petitions.

The criminal case regards the alleged cases of distribution of electoral bribes that the Prosperous Armenia Party distributed during the parliamentary elections in 2017.