Permission from the Constitutional Court Not Required for Criminal Prosecution of Hrayr Tovmasyan, Says Badashyan

It has been repeatedly stated that no individual is guaranteed immunity from criminal prosecution under the established law. This was mentioned today, December 27, during a meeting with reporters by Justice Minister Rustam Badashyan, in response to questions regarding the charges brought against the President of the Constitutional Court, Hrayr Tovmasyan.

“In our country, just look at the number of current and former officials who are under criminal investigation. This means that if there is a corruption case, regardless of the opportunities it may present for certain individuals, criminal cases must be examined effectively,” he noted.

In response to the claim that the charges against Hrayr Tovmasyan are seen as pressure on the Constitutional Court, Badashyan said: “If the charges were brought today, rather than a week ago, they would say it is related to the draft proposal concerning early retirement being discussed in the National Assembly. If it had happened in January, they would say it is linked to the law on early retirement coming into force. If the early retirement law did not exist, they would argue it was related to the fact that we do not have a controllable Constitutional Court. This means that parallels can always be drawn, but if we look at the number of officials currently involved in criminal cases, it can be classified as manipulation.”

Regarding the question of whether permission from the Constitutional Court is necessary for prosecuting Hrayr Tovmasyan, Badashyan stated: “The case does not pertain to actions arising from the judge's status; it concerns alleged abuses during Mr. Tovmasyan's tenure as a minister. Therefore, the Constitutional Court's permission is not required for criminal prosecution, as a Constitutional Court judge does not have immunity.”