Kocharyan’s defense team submits petition for judge’s self-withdrawal

The March 1 case hearing continues at Yerevan court of general jurisdiction chaired by judge Davit Grigoryan. Defense team of Armenia’s second president Robert Kocharyan has submitted petition for self-withdrawal of the judge.

The judge provided 40 minutes to the defense team to prepare the self-withdrawal application.

Presenting the petition, lawayer Hayk Alumyan stated that judge is not ensuring equality between the parties, stressing that the attorney general Artur Davtyan entered the court room from the service entrance of the judge.

Referring to another reason for submitting the petition, Alumyan said that it has become clear at today’s hearing that the judge could not have get familiarized with the materials of the case in this short period of time. The case has been registered on judge Davit Grigoryan on May 7 and the first session held today, six days later.

Alumyan stressed that in essence, the judge did not reject that he is not familiarized with the materials of the criminal case.

The prosecutors objected the petition of the defense side, claiming that the grounds mentioned in it are groundless.

The third reason of the petition is that Davit Grigoryan’s issue is on the agenda of the Supreme Judicial Council session thus this circumstance may be an impediment for the judge’s independence. Months ago Grigoryan refused to examine the petition on changing Kocharyan’s preventive measure. Today the Supreme Judicial Council has started an administrative proceeding against the judge declaring a warning.