YEREVAN. - Lusine Abgaryan, the Criminal Court of Appeal judge presiding over the case of Armenia’s second President Robert Kocharyan, has denied the motion for recusing herself from hearing this case. The judge announced the verdict today.

The aforesaid motion by the former president's lawyers was based on suspicion of the judge's impartiality, given her brother's numerous posts on Facebook and his friendship with Constitutional Court member Vahe Grigoryan.

Earlier, Criminal Court of Appeal Judge Mkhitar Papoyan had granted the prosecution’s motion and recused himself from presiding over this hearing.

Robert Kocharyan's legal defenders have appealed the November 7 ruling of Judge Anna Danibekyan of the Court of First Instance, who had denied the motion to release Kocharyan on bail.