I Am Not Sure That Oligarchs Do Not Use Their Levers to Influence Court Decisions, Says Prime Minister

I am not sure that the previous authorities, or if you will, the oligarchs, no longer use their levers and tools to influence court decisions. This was stated by Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan in Brussels while responding to questions from members of the European Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee.

“Regarding the fight against corruption, I must emphasize that it is extremely important for us in terms of establishing the rule of law in the country. Several criminal cases have been initiated against former officials. Investigations in that direction will continue, and the courts must decide the fate of those criminal cases. It is extremely important to ensure the independence of the courts,” he said.

The Prime Minister reminded that the government has been making efforts from the very beginning to put an end to the corrupt practice of influencing court decisions.

“I am not sure that the previous authorities, or if you will, the oligarchs, no longer use their levers and tools to influence court decisions. Nevertheless, we do not intend to influence court decisions in any way. Our goal is to make the judicial system truly independent,” he said.

Nikol Pashinyan noted that the funds stolen from the state must be returned, and he expressed hope that effective cooperation would be established with the European Union to achieve this goal.

“It is extremely important for us that the OSCE has promised to help the Armenian government in the matter of returning public funds to the state,” he said.