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“No problems will be resolved in the country by arresting me. They should not be afraid of Tsarukyan,” the opposition Prosperous Armenia Party (PAP) leader, lawmaker Gagik Tsarukyan told reporters gathered outside the Court of General Jurisdiction in Yerevan's central Kentron district on Friday.

The court resumed today hearings on a motion to arrest the opposition MP, with presiding judge Mnatsakan Martirosyan set to issue a ruling later in the day.

Tsarukyan reiterated that he has been facing political persecution after his harsh criticism of the Armenian government on 5 July.

The PAP leader stated the promises made during the 2018 “velvet revolution” turned out to be empty, adding the country has never been in a more deplorable situation than now. People’s living conditions are getting worse day by day, he stressed.

Tsarukyan said there have been seven cases of vote buying since 2008 and in all cases a signature bond has been imposed as a measure of restraint.

“They seek to arrest the leader of the second political force only so that I do not interfere with the investigation. I have been out for three months, 100 investigators are dealing with the case and several thousand people have been questioned, but there is no testimony against Tsarukyan," he said.