Ex-top court head claims his immunity from prosecution violated
Hrayr Tovmasyan, the former chairman of Armenia’s Constitutional Court and ex-justice minister, insisted that criminal charges were levelled against him in violation of his immunity from prosecution.
Tovmasyan, who was removed from his post as Constitutional Court chairman following constitutional amendments in 2020 but continued to serve as a judge, has been charged with abuse of power related to alleged real estate fraud strongly denied by him as politically motivated.
Addressing a first instance court in Yerevan at his trial on Thursday, Tovmasyan claimed that the criminal case against him stemmed exclusively from his role as a judge of the top court.
“This criminal case was launched in violation of my immunity from prosecution as a Constitutional Court judge enshrined in the constitution,” he stated.
“Rest assured that I would not have been charged if I had not been part of the Constitutional Court,” Tovmasyan added, accusing the prosecutors dealing with the of incompetence.
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