Gagik Jhangiryan Does Not Meet Requirements for Supreme Judicial Council Candidate, Will the Law Change?

The news of Gagik Jhangiryan's candidacy for member or president of the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) has sparked unpleasant discussions within the judicial system. Judges from various courts have gathered to discuss why Jhangiryan has set his sights on the SJC, and how the authorities have instructed him to assemble his group within the SJC to address the issues of the 'whiners'. Details from the judges' gathering and discussions have emerged to 'Zhoghovurd' newspaper.

It turns out that, to resolve the issues of the 'whiners,' the authorities have also decided to circumvent the law. Specifically, judges have raised concerns regarding Jhangiryan's age. Article 80, clause 9 of the Judicial Code, which outlines the requirements for SJC members, states that a person who has any legal restrictions on being appointed as a judge cannot be elected by the National Assembly as a member of the Supreme Judicial Council. Article 97 of the same code establishes the requirements for candidates aspiring to be judges, stating that individuals aged 25 to 60 with voting rights may participate in the qualification check for judge candidacy.

However, Gagik Jhangiryan was born in 1955, making him 66 years old, which is six years older than the required age threshold. Thus, it becomes clear that Gagik Jhangiryan is not a judge, and the status of SJC membership is equivalent to that of a judge, meaning he cannot be elected as a judge due to age restrictions. Therefore, the only way out is for the National Assembly, with its pocket majority, to change the law for Jhangiryan. Judges have deemed this unacceptable and a move indistinguishable from previous actions, deciding instead to wait to understand what steps the political authorities will take in favor of Gagik Jhangiryan.

Many judges also recalled the famous Mataghisi case, noting how the former military prosecutor used to gather judges to his side, while judges were fully aware of his 'accomplished' cases. In any case, at the end of the gathering, judges expressed that neither Gagik Harutyunyan nor Ruben Vardazaryan had succeeded in dictating their 'rules' or gathering a cohort, and therefore Gagik Jhangiryan should not come in such 'favors', as he will not succeed either.

Additionally, it should be noted that today members of the National Assembly's 'My Step' faction will meet with Jhangiryan in Parliament to discuss his candidacy.