Wiretapped conversation does not imply NSS director’s and PM’s intervention into criminal case proceeding

The wiretapped conversation between National Security Service director Artur Vanetsyan and Special Investigation Service chief Sasun Khachatryan clearly shows that neither Vanetsyan nor Armenia’s PM Nikol Pashinyan put pressure on judicial power or tried to intervene, the opposite, the two officials just expressed concerns over the case, chairman of the NA’s State-Legal and Human Rights Protection Standing Committee Gevorg Kostanyan said, speaking to Aysor.am.

“It is very important what case and what persons they are talking about. Both Yuri Khachaturov and Robert Kocharyan are significant personalities and naturally political discussions are taking place over the case they are involved into,” Kostanyan said.

He said the conversation shows the interest displayed by the NSS director toward the legality and grounding of the detention. “My opinion is that there is no intervention. It is just expression of concern whether the accusations are based or not. The same is in case of the Prime Minister,” Kostanyan stressed.

As to the circumstance that Vanetsyan clearly says in the conversation that judge called him, which means that judicial system representative contacted the NSS director over the case, Kostanyan reiterated Vanetsyan’s claims that he has not phoned the judge.

“As far as the NSS director’s concern is agreed with the specific status of people involved in the case, I am convinced that his interest fits in exclusively this circle,” he said, adding that NSS director is not authorized to study or assess evidences but is authorized to get familiarized with the legality, grounding of the case.

The problem is that the investigative body, and in this case the Special Investigation Service, does not have right to discuss details of criminal case with NSS director and prime minister.

“Each official may try to call SIS chief and talk to him over circumstances of a concrete criminal case. But the SIS chief and judge do not have right to speak about circumstances of criminal case with anyone. The only person SIS chief can talk to is the supervising prosecutor and prosecutor general. Only with them he can discuss whether he acted grounded or not,” Kostanyan said.