Armenian Prosecutor General to Appeal to Russia Again Regarding Gevorg Kostanyan's Extradition

The Prosecutor General of Armenia, Anna Vardapetyan, has announced that the court will soon move to the main trial phase, where the prosecution will read the charges, including questions raised during parliamentary hearings.

“Imagine there have been two headquarters - one from the police and one from the Ministry of Defense. Regarding the issue of the investigation vector, I can say that the investigation is currently being conducted regarding the headquarters because there are 625 volumes with various connected episodes, including the commission of corruption crimes by Gevorg Kostanyan. It is illogical for this to be examined within the framework of one case. For this reason, the pre-trial investigation is being separated based on cases and directions, so that it can be sent to court. Otherwise, with so many defendants, the trial may not conclude during my lifetime,” she said.

Addressing the circumstances of several defendants in the March 1 case being wanted, she noted that former prosecutor Gevorg Kostanyan and the head of the investigative group at the Special Investigative Service, Vahagn Harutyunyan, are currently in the Russian Federation.

“We cooperate with Russia within the framework of multilateral agreements, particularly based on the Kishinev Convention; however, at this moment, we do not have an agreement from Russia for the extradition of these individuals. Nevertheless, in the near future, the Prosecutor General’s Office of Armenia will send another request to Russia, asking to reconsider the previously rejected extradition request,” she stated.