Chief of Staff of a Warring Country Charged

In Armenia, which is currently in a state of war, the Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces, Artak Davtyan, continues to hold his position despite being charged with a crime.

It is worth noting that Davtyan has been charged under Article 375, Part 3 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Armenia for the abuse of power or office by a state official. This includes exceeding the limits of authority, as well as inaction by a governmental authority, if these actions were undertaken for selfish, personal interests, or group interests, and if they led to significant material consequences. The prescribed penalty for this article ranges from 4 to 8 years of imprisonment, with or without confiscation of property.

In this regard, the newspaper “Zhoghovurd” contacted the Office of the Prosecutor General of the Republic of Armenia to understand whether the supervising prosecutor has approached the government to suspend the Chief of Staff's powers. In response, the agency provided a negative answer, indicating that despite the charges of abuse of office against the Chief of Staff, Davtyan continues to serve in his role.

It should also be noted that charges have been brought against former Minister of Defense Davit Tonoyan, who is in custody, former head of the Air Force Avetik Muradyan, who is also under arrest, former Deputy Chief of Staff Stepan Galstyan, who is likewise in custody, and head of the aviation technical assets service Artjom Hambaryan and chief engineer Vladimir Babayan, who were released under certain conditions.

The full article can be found in today’s issue of the newspaper.