YEREVAN. – The prosecutor spoke against the appellate appeal by the defense attorneys of Armenia’s second President Kocharyan during Wednesday’s Criminal Court of Appeal hearing on the criminal case against him.  

Prosecutor Gevorg Baghdasaryan cited the DataLex judicial information system website, among other things, and said the charge was the evidence of the risk of influencing the investigation. According to him, the respective cornerstone is the inclusion of the army in internal political processes, attempts to falsify evidence, and pressure on witnesses. "Facts that Robert Kocharyan, being in freedom, had an impact, are not presented," the prosecutor said, adding that it was about risks, not just actions.

The court inquired whether there was any information about Kocharyan's direct connection to the circumstances mentioned by the prosecutor. In response, the prosecutor had to admit the lack of necessary facts, and he focused on the risks.

But Hayk Alumyan, one of Robert Kocharyan’s attorneys, lodged a complaint against the presiding judge's actions. "The court is considering a circumstance that is not put on the basis of the decision of the court of first instance, and it has not even been studied," the lawyer said.