Serzh Sargsyan Could Have Faced Several Dozen Charges, Political Scientist Says

Political scientist Haik Martirosyan wrote on his Facebook page: "Two years after the rejection of Serzh Sargsyan and his removal from power, the mere accusation against him serves only his interests. If, two years after toppling a governor who held the highest positions of power for thirty years, they are only charging him for indirect involvement in a crime attributed to approximately one million dollars of embezzlement, it provides grounds for such a high-profile defendant to easily avoid these charges. Furthermore, it sends a clear message to the public that this is all they could find, or even scarier, that this is supposedly all Sargsyan has done. And finally, what explanation does this government have for the public? That we removed a person accused of stealing one million dollars for that alone?

If they wanted to, they could have charged Serzh Sargsyan with at least several dozen accusations. With such actions, the government is perhaps making a cheap move, presenting a cheap performance to the public. A performance intended to create the illusion of punishing Serzh Sargsyan and ensuring a prolonged, unintentional staging. In reality, this could also be a trick, ostensibly holding him accountable while subsequently releasing him from potentially more numerous and serious charges some time later.

It is unnecessary to remind that the Republican Party of Armenia, which has received actual permission from the current authorities to continue its existence, has used the qualitative aspect of this accusation and presented it as political persecution. What we began as a revolution, but ended merely as a transfer, is a mountain that gave birth to a mouse. And that mouse is the results we see today. This accusation against Serzh Sargsyan is one of the best proofs of that."