YEREVAN. – The head of Armenia’s National Security Service Artur Vanetsyan said he was not acquainted with the judge who ruled the arrest of the second president Robert Kocharyan.

A scandalous recording of a phone conversation of Armenia’s National Security Service Artur Vanetsyan and head of Special Investigation Service Sasun Khachatryan appeared on the internet. They discussed the criminal case in connection with the arrest of Robert Kocharyan and CSTO Secretary General Yuri Khachaturov. Later on both PM Nikol Pashinyan and the participants of the conversation admitted that the recording was not a fake.

Speaking during a press conference, Vanetsyan said he had never talked to the judge and had never been acquainted with him. Vanetsyan emphasized that the officials were speaking about an expert assessment during the conversation.

According to the wiretapped recording, Vanetsyan informed his interlocutor that a judge who gave a judgment called him, and it was heard that the judge was a bit scared.