Investigation into Vardazaryan-Jhangiryan Conversation Recording Closed Without Parties' Knowledge

The investigation initiated based on the recorded conversation between former Chairman of the Supreme Judicial Council Ruben Vardazaryan and former Acting Chairman of the Supreme Judicial Council, former Military Prosecutor of Armenia Gagik Jhangiryan has been closed by the Anti-Corruption Committee without revisiting the case, having been held for three months.

In response to a query from "Factinfo," the Anti-Corruption Committee confirmed that the investigation has been terminated. According to the committee, the termination was based on the first clause of the first part of Article 13 of the Criminal Procedure Code of Armenia, which states that no crime defined by the criminal code has been established.

It is important to recall that on June 20, 2022, at a press conference called by Ruben Vardazaryan, a controversial recording was released, allegedly proving that Acting Chairman of the Supreme Judicial Council Gagik Jhangiryan attempted to coerce Vardazaryan into resigning. The contentious conversation took place around a dinner table, which also included Vardazaryan, Jhangiryan, and council member Stepan Mikayelyan.

The published recording indicated that Vardazaryan was urged to resign at the behest of the Prime Minister, while Jhangiryan took on the role of mediator, assuring that there would be no persecution if Vardazaryan submitted his resignation. Jhangiryan personally admitted on public air that he indeed held negotiations with Vardazaryan regarding his resignation.

Moreover, he stated that enforcing a resignation upon the Chairman of the Supreme Judicial Council is not an easy task, and he employed psychological tactics, even providing a "push". Days after the controversial recording and an even more perplexing interview, it was announced that Jhangiryan had health issues and underwent surgery. It was evident that Jhangiryan was preparing to resign under the pretext of health problems, and on July 1, it was officially confirmed that Jhangiryan had submitted his resignation request.

In relation to the mentioned recording, a criminal investigation was initiated by the Investigative Committee of Armenia, which was closed in December due to the absence of any crime.

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