Yerevan court orders compulsory attendance of key defendants In high-profile Armenian case

Judge Sarkis Petrosyan of the Anti-Corruption Court in Yerevan has ordered the compulsory attendance of former Armenian President Robert Kocharyan, ex-Defence Minister Seyran Ohanyan, and former Chief of Staff Yuri Khachaturov at the next court session.

Thus, Kocharyan, Ohanyan, and Khachaturov failed to attend the hearing on November 15, Caliber.Az reports, citing Armenian media.

The only defendant present was former Deputy Prime Minister and MP from the "Aytasan" bloc, Armen Gevorgyan

The defence lawyers argued that their clients were not obligated to attend, as their status as accused had not been officially recorded either in the documents or during previous hearings.

Judge Petrosyan emphasised that all defendants had been notified of the date and time of the session, yet their absence demonstrated a lack of respect for the court.

"The court has ruled to ensure the compulsory attendance of Robert Kocharyan, Yuri Khachaturov, and Seyran Ohanyan in the courtroom, instructing the head of Armenia’s police to carry out this decision," Petrosyan announced.

Notably, the Armenian Court of Cassation has approved the reclassification of charges against former President Robert Kocharyan and his associates, prompting the initiation of a new criminal investigation.

This follows a ruling by Armenia’s Constitutional Court, which upheld the constitutionality of Article 309.1, allowing prosecutors to amend charges. The case, initially related to the alleged overthrow of the constitutional order under Article 300.1 of the Armenian Criminal Code, now focuses on allegations of abuse of power.

The Court of Cassation overturned a 2021 decision and directed the case to the Anti-Corruption Court. 

The next hearing is scheduled for November 28.

By Aghakazim Guliyev