Catholicos of All Armenians Karekin II has refused to testify, and the goal of the criminal proceedings was to make the Bishops' Synod fail, his attorney Ara Zohrabyan told reporters. “This was one of the shameful days in the history of Armenia, a disgrace.

This decision will lead to very bad situations,” Zohrabyan added On February 14, the prosecutor's office initiated criminal proceedings against the Catholicos of All Armenians on charges of obstructing the execution of a judicial act related to Arman Saroyan—the defrocked Bishop Gevorg Saroyan, and Karekin II was banned from leaving Armenia.