Robert Kocharyan Makes Statement in Court

The second President of Armenia, Robert Kocharyan, does not recognize himself as guilty and considers the charges against him absurd.

In today's session of the Yerevan City Court of General Jurisdiction, reviewing a case of alleged bribery, Kocharyan stated that the accusations have no relevance to reality.

“Of course, I do not recognize myself as guilty. I consider this charge not only absurd but also unrelated to reality. I do not know any person named Silva Hambardzumyan at all. It is entirely unclear to me why the prosecution has decided that I have administrative and economic powers. There is a Constitution that clearly defines my authorities. And I do not understand which of my powers I am alleged to have used or not used in this case. The President of Armenia does not even manage the budget of the presidency; no president of a country has such authority,” Kocharyan stated.

According to the President, it is also unclear to him what the discussion is about, since at that time, the sale of a license did not require any state decision or approval from any state official according to the legislation in force.

“Essentially, this accusation is based on the imagination of one person. This is a classic example of a political order. The charge was brought up at the last minute, following an alleged attempt to overthrow the constitutional order. The goal was clear: since that article did not imply property obligations, everything had to be done to attach those obligations. That was accomplished through this article,” Kocharyan noted.