Defense Attorneys Reject Translator in 'Silva Case'

During the court session concerning the case of Armenia's second president Robert Kocharian and former Deputy Prime Minister Armen Gevorgyan, the question of involving a translator once again remains unresolved. This was reported by Sputnik Armenia.

The translator presented during today's session, Sona Hovhannisyan, unlike the previous translator, possessed documentation confirming her linguist qualifications, but lacked certification as a translator. It also became apparent that she had authorized herself to act as a translator, as she is the director of the translation office.

“An individual can be engaged as a translator only if they have the necessary documents confirming their qualifications; otherwise, they cannot serve as a translator. It is one thing if a person has a law degree but is not an attorney, similarly, a translator must have the appropriate credentials... These are different matters, and we believe she cannot be involved as a translator,” stated Lusine Sahakyan, the attorney for Armen Gevorgyan.

After a brief discussion, Haik Aloumian filed an objection against the translator.

“As a linguist, we have no reason to question her qualifications, but she lacks the necessary qualifications as a translator. Meanwhile, Article 83 of the Criminal Procedure Code stipulates that a translator must provide proof of their qualifications to the authority in charge of the proceedings,” Aloumian noted as justification.

Prosecuting attorneys, in turn, requested to reject the objection. After hearing both sides, the court retreated to the advisory room to make a decision, which is expected to be published at 14:40.

It is worth recalling that former President Robert Kocharian and former Deputy Prime Minister Armen Gevorgyan are defendants in a single criminal case. Kocharian is accused of receiving large-scale bribes, while Gevorgyan is charged with money laundering.