Lawyer: They want to hold closed-door hearing in Vardan Petrosian case

Judge Yuri Baghdasarian of the Kotayk regional court of general jurisdiction rejected today the petition of actor Vardan Petrosian’s lawyer, Nikolay Baghdasarian, for recusation of the judge.

Lawyer Nikolai Baghdasarian told Aysor.am that the prosecutor read out only the final part of the decision without substantiating it.

According to the lawyer, at the court sitting the prosecutor filed a petition for holding a closed-door hearing in the Vardan Petrosian case.

“I asked several times the prosecutor to substantiate this decision and clarify under which law the petition was filed. The prosecutor declared that ‘it was his personal opinion’. The reason is they just can’t substantiate it,” N. Baghdasarian said.

The lawyer believes that the judge will most likely grant the prosecutor’s petition. Lawyer Nikolai Baghdasarian earlier told Aysor.am that he received a decision of Armenia’s Special Investigation Service which proves that using arrest as a measure of restraint against V. Petrosian is illegal.

Around 10:10 pm on October 20 of last year two cars – a VAZ-21214 and a BMW-320 collided at the 2nd km of Yeghvard-Yerevan Highway. The driver of VAZ and six passengers suffered injuries and were hospitalized. Two passengers – Edgar and Edward Hakobian died in the hospital.

A criminal case was opened under Article 242 part 3 of the Criminal Code. On November 9 the Kotayk regional court of general jurisdiction granted the investigative body’s petition and chose arrest as a measure of restraint for Vardan Petrosian.