Today, on December 11, the trial for the former president of Armenia, Serzh Sargsyan, is underway at the General Jurisdiction Court in Yerevan. The presiding judge has held meetings with Serzh Sargsyan’s defense team through an intermediary. The prosecutor states that the criminal case was sent to court in August 2020, and since then, 14 court sessions have taken place, which are still ongoing.

However, there have been several obstacles during these proceedings. The 12th session was disrupted by Gagik Khachatryan, and another session had to be canceled due to his illness. In addition, lawyer Erem Sargsyan was absent for one session, and another session was postponed due to the unpreparedness of the witnesses. Throughout this period, Gagik Khachatryan did not receive specialized medical assistance. The defense team’s actions have significantly delayed the court hearings and led to the indefinite postponement of sessions, according to the judge.

The judge has demanded that Khachatryan’s refusal to attend the court sessions be considered inexcusable. It is essential to note that both Gagik Khachatryan and Karen Khachatryan are accused of abusing their official positions, embezzlement, and misappropriation of official property. Neither of them has accepted the accusations against them, and there have been no attempts to question the validity of the allegations or challenge the course of the trial. In 2019, Gagik Khachatryan, who was in Germany at the time, voluntarily returned to Armenia after a telephone conversation with the investigator and presented himself to the relevant authority overseeing the proceedings. Similarly, after the search announcement was published, Karen Khachatryan also presented himself to the court.

Source: NEWS.am