YEREVAN. – The weapons that were found in my house have nothing to do with the March 1 case. The second President of Armenia, Robert Kocharyan, stated this at Wednesday’s Criminal Court of Appeal session on the case regarding the attachment that has been placed on his property and assets.

“All those weapons were inspected; the police have the fired cartridge of all those weapons,” Kocharyan stated. “They were legal weapons, and there was no weapon here that was used on March 1 [2008], or some sort of a weapon which they could have assumed that it would be linked to March 1.”

In the second President’s words, pistols and a hunting shotgun were confiscated from his house.

“They were just pistols which were gifts, also by the leaders, officials of other countries, and a hunting weapon,” he said. “These weapons have nothing to do at all with this criminal case.”

The Special Investigation Service of Armenia had conducted a search at the mansion and office of second President Robert Kocharyan.

As a result, Kocharyan’s bank documents, firearms, identification card, employment contract signed in 2017, etc. were confiscated.

The confiscated items have not been returned to him to this day.

On March 1 and 2, 2008 the then authorities of Armenia used force against the opposition members who were rallying in downtown capital city Yerevan, and against the results of the presidential election on February 19, 2008. Eight demonstrators as well as two servicemen of the internal troops were killed in the clashes.

Second President Robert Kocharyan is charged with overthrowing the constitutional order in Armenia in connection with the aforesaid events, and taking a particularly large bribe.

The Criminal Court of Appeal has overturned the first instance court’s decision on releasing Kocharyan from custody, and it ruled that he be remanded in custody yet again.