Sasun Khachatryan on Serge Sargsyan's Case

We have had the conviction that a crime has occurred. In response to the question from "Azatutyun" regarding whether he agrees with the decision to acquit third president Serge Sargsyan, said Sasun Khachatryan, the head of the Anti-Corruption Committee. Khachatryan previously headed the Special Investigative Service.

“I led the agency that referred this criminal case to court, therefore, we have had the conviction that a crime has occurred, and the individual in question has committed that crime,” he stated.

After more than four years of trial, the court acquitted the third president of Armenia, rejecting the Prosecutor's Office's accusation that during his presidency, Serge Sargsyan orchestrated the embezzlement of nearly half a billion drams from the state budget.

“If I am not mistaken, the Prosecutor’s Office has already announced that it will appeal, and when the verdict comes into legal force, then we will talk about it,” Khachatryan added.

The Prosecutor's Office argued that in a competition in 2013 aimed at providing affordable fuel to farmers, former president Serge Sargsyan’s close associate, Vahagn Baghlanyan’s “Flash” had won, which, unlike the other two companies that submitted bids, offered the highest price.

However, the court has decided that the transaction made years ago was legal.