Yerevan court rejects appeal on dropping criminal charges against former parliament speaker
Yerevan court rejects appeal on dropping criminal charges against former parliament speaker
The Yerevan Court of General Jurisdiction turned down on Thursday the appeal of lawyer Aram Vardevanyan on dropping criminal prosecution against the former Speaker of Parliament Ara Babloyan.
Ara Babloyan was charged with usurpation of power and official forgery as part of a criminal investigation into Hrayr Tovmasyan’s appointment as chairman of Armenia’s Constitutional Court in 2018. Charges have also been levelled against Arsen Babayan, the former deputy chief of the Armenian parliament staff, as part of the same criminal case.
Both Babloyan and Babayan strongly deny any wrongdoing.
Commenting on the court decision, Arsen Babayan wrote on Facebook: “The court didn’t dare implement justice. The appeal brought by Aram Vardevanyan was well grounded, and the criminal prosecution was unlawful. The political persecution continues which will not last long. ”