Prosecutor's Office on Kocharyan's Defense Team

The defense team of Robert Kocharyan, the accused in the criminal case of "R. Kocharyan and others," continues to distort factual circumstances related to the aforementioned criminal case through various formats outside the trial process, remaining committed to the approach adopted initially.

According to a statement released by the Public Relations Department of the Republic of Armenia Prosecutor's Office, the defense team attempts to interpret procedural procedures and legal regulations in a biased manner, fashioning distorted public opinions about the legality of the actions of their judicial opponents.

“The latest manifestations of this were their statements at a press conference today, where they, stepping outside the legal framework, responded to direct questions with manipulative and evasive answers, combined with emotional tones and expressions that violated basic norms of professional and human ethics towards the Prosecutor's Office of Armenia,” the statement reads.

The Prosecutor's Office also emphasized that they do not find it necessary to revisit the appeal to the Court of Appeals regarding the decision made by the General Jurisdiction First Instance Court on changing the measure of restraint for R. Kocharyan, as well as the decision to suspend the criminal case based on the appeal to the Constitutional Court, which has been clearly clarified multiple times.

“Instead of genuinely concerning themselves with the substantive defense of their client’s legitimate interests and presenting appropriate and adequate behavior akin to the representatives of the Prosecutor's Office, they have effectively made manipulative attempts to prolong the proceedings throughout the trial with various motions, providing grounds for the Court of Appeals to continue their known approach in this regard and thereby conceal the reality of the defense’s failure,” the Prosecutor's Office stated.

In this context, with descriptions and evaluations that have no relation to decency and professional appropriateness, certain segments of the prosecution's presentations during the trial are being distorted, taken out of context, to target the Armenian Prosecutor's Office and the Chief Prosecutor personally, perhaps aiming to drag them out of their consistently reasonable behavior in the legal arena into cheap extrajudicial showcases.

The Prosecutor's Office further asserts that the defense team should refrain from such posturing as a result of their own failures during the examination of the appeals, avoid generating public opinion through manipulative methods, creating artificial obstacles for the judicial process, and attempting to shift their own responsibility onto others, instead remaining strictly within the legal framework.

Lastly, for the defense's knowledge, it is noted that the $18 million amount is direct income into the bank account of the accused's son, not as presented by the defenders through their customary manipulative and obscure interpretations regarding some account movements.