Constitutional Court Judge: Decision on Kocharyan's Case Was Not Hasty

Constitutional Court Judge Alvina Gyulumyan does not believe that the decision made by the Constitutional Court regarding the criminal case of the second President of Armenia, Robert Kocharyan, was hasty. Gyulumyan made this statement today while speaking to reporters in response to a question about whether the Court rushed to make a decision on Kocharyan's case.

"According to the law, applications presented to the Constitutional Court must be examined within 3 months. Only in exceptional cases does the Court request an additional deadline, which cannot exceed 3 months. The Court made a decision regarding Kocharyan's application 4 months after it was submitted. Now, whether this is a hasty decision or not is up to your interpretation," she said.

When asked if there are pressures on the Court members regarding certain issues, Gyulumyan replied that only those who are under pressure feel it. She asserted that she cannot be pressured.

In response to a question regarding the atmosphere in the Court following the proposal from the “My Step” faction to terminate the powers of the Court's President Hrayr Tovmasyan, Gyulumyan stated that the atmosphere is the same as before, without any changes. "The atmosphere in the Court remains the same as it was previously," she noted, adding that she cannot comment on the termination of Tovmasyan's powers as it is ultimately up to the Court to make a decision, and her opinion would be a biased approach.

It should be noted that the “My Step” faction has initiated the process of terminating the powers of the President of the Constitutional Court, Hrayr Tovmasyan. Regarding the applications submitted by Kocharyan to the Constitutional Court, the Court had ruled that Article 35 of the Criminal Procedure Code, which does not foresee circumstances excluding the procedural immunity of officials with special protection in criminal proceedings, contradicts and invalidates four articles of the Constitution.