Court Rejects Motion to Suspend Proceedings in Serzh Sargsyan's Case

The Anti-Corruption Court has rejected the motion to suspend the proceedings in the case regarding the alleged illegal assets of Armenia's third President Serzh Sargsyan and his relatives. The motion was submitted by Sargsyan's lawyer, Vahagn Grigoryan.

As a basis for the motion, Grigoryan stated in court that the constitutionality of the law on the confiscation of illegally acquired property is currently under review by the Constitutional Court.

Judge Karapet Badalyan of the Anti-Corruption Court noted that the Constitutional Court has not yet made a decision regarding the incompatibility of the cited law with the Constitution. He mentioned that a suspension of the proceedings might be warranted in case of inability to discuss the matter until the Constitutional Court reaches a decision; however, such a condition does not exist in this case.

"The defense's motion is unfounded, and it is rejected," Badalyan stated.

It should be noted that the issue of the law on confiscation of illegally acquired property's compliance with the Constitution is under examination by the Constitutional Court based on a request from at least one-fifth of the total number of opposition members in the National Assembly.

Within the framework of this case, on July 8, 2022, the Constitutional Court decided that the raised possible constitutional dispute relates to legal issues connected to the rights established under international treaties on human rights ratified by the Republic of Armenia. Therefore, there is a need for advisory opinions regarding the best practices related to the interpretation or application of the rights and freedoms guaranteed by international human rights treaties ratified by Armenia, as well as concerning some issues raised for resolution by the Constitutional Court.

It is noteworthy that the law on the confiscation of illegally acquired property was adopted on April 16, 2020, and came into force on May 23 of the same year.