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The Court of General Jurisdiction in Yerevan's central Kentron district on Wednesday had to reschedule the hearing on a motion to arrest the opposition Prosperous Armenia Party (PAP) leader, lawmaker Gagik Tsarukyan.

Neither Tsarukyan nor his lawyers appeared in court, with some reports suggesting they had not been properly notified on the hearing.

The court and one of Tsarukyan's lawyers, Yerem Sargsyan, were not immediately available for comment.

The National Security Service (NSS) has charged Tsarukyan with vote buying, tax evasion and illegal land appropriation. Armenian MPs voted to strip the opposition figure of immunity from prosecution on June 16, moving to push through the criminal proceedings against him.

However, the Court of General Jurisdiction, presided over by judge Robert Papoyan, ruled against Tsarukyan’s arrest sought by the NSS on June 21, a decision appealed by prosecutors to a higher court. The defense lawyers also filed a number of appeals against that decision to the court.

The Court of Appeals overturned the lower court’s refusal to arrest the opposition MP on July 8, ordering new hearings on the motion to arrest him.

Tsarukyan denies any wrongdoing, dismissing the charges as politically motivated. The MP claims the accusations against him came after his harsh criticism of the Armenian government at the June 5 meeting of his party.