No Criminal Act in the Case of Ara Babloyan and Arsen Babayan, Says Petrosyan

If there is no criminal act in the case of Ara Babloyan and Arsen Babayan, then state bodies should not be guided by the pressure of the moment. In the future, they will be held accountable.

This was stated today by Gevorg Petrosyan, a member of the Prosperous Armenia Party faction, in an interview with Tert.am, regarding the accusations against former Deputy Chief of Staff of the National Assembly Arsen Babayan and former National Assembly President Ara Babloyan.

“I do not have full knowledge of the legal aspects of the case, but I can almost confidently say that all of this would not have happened if it were not for the constitutional court fiasco. If that had not occurred, it is unlikely that Ara Babloyan and Arsen Babayan would be considered defendants, and a trial would take place. I tend to believe that all of this is being done with the aim of removing Hayr Toomasyan from the game. Everyone knows that neither Arsen Babayan is a criminal nor, even more so, Ara Babloyan,” the MP stated.

Petrosyan believes that there is a risk of proving their innocence in the future, so he advised state bodies not to fall for the moment's pressure. “If there is indeed a criminal act, let them pursue the disclosure of the act; however, if there is none, they should refrain from making unnecessary decisions. In the future, they will be held accountable—if not by this government, then by the next one,” Petrosyan noted.

It should be recalled that Ara Babloyan, former President of the National Assembly of Armenia, has been implicated as a suspect in a criminal case being investigated by the Special Investigative Service of Armenia on suspicion of usurping power. As a result of a change in procedural status, charges were brought against Ara Babloyan.

It is also important to mention that Arsen Babayan has been charged under Article 300, Part 1, and Article 314, Part 1 of the Criminal Code of Armenia for aiding a group of officials in usurping the authorities of the Constitutional Court of Armenia and for committing official forgery while acting as the Deputy Chief of Staff of the National Assembly in 2018.