Court continues examination of petition on Armenia’s second president’s preventive measure

Yerevan court of general jurisdiction is examining the petition on changing Armenia’s second president Robert Kocharyan’s preventive measure chaired by the judge Artur Mkrtchyan.

The petition to change the arrest on release on bail has been filed by Kocharyan’s defense team while in its turn, the investigative body has filed petition on prolonging Kocharyan’s arrest for another two months.

At yesterday’s examination Kocharyan’s defense team submitted self-withdrawal application to the judge but the latter denied the petition.

The self-withdrawal has been filed reasoned with close relations between families of Kocharyan’s attorney Aram Orbelyan and judge Artur Mkrtchyan.

The petition was denied grounded with the circumstance that the relations between the families are not close enough for them to have an impact on the decision of the judge.

Speaking to reporters, Orbelyan said they will ask the judge to first examine the petition of the defense team on changing the preventive measure, then the petition filed by the investigator.

“We will demand separate examination of petitions as they are different. We will ask to first discuss ours and make decision over it, and only after it the petition on prolonging the arrest if of course the petition on release on bail be denied,” he said.