Former prosecutor general states about readiness to return to Armenia and publicly respond to questions of March 1 case preliminary investigation body

Former prosecutor general Gevorg Kostanyan stated about readiness to return to Armenia from tomorrow and publicly answer the questions of preliminary investigation body despite the circumstance that charges against him are “deprived of any legal, logical and substantial grounds.”

“For it to be done publicly and for our people to understand what goes on, I offer to conduct public discussion at the PM’s office or with his participation with live stream and involvement of SIS chief, prosecutor general, advocates and international experts,” Kostanyan said in an extended statement.

He said that he is not an advocate of public discussions of criminal cases but his demand has two reasons with the first one being one-sided publication of March 1 case, including on the levels of ambassadors and in international platforms and secondly, with the current working style of law enforcement bodies.

“Of course I can say what I want being outside of Armenia and issue a statement but my offer is agreed with the readiness to return even clearly realizing that I will be arrested after the consultation but our people must learn from these Q&A about not only the grounds and reasons of the charges brought against me but also the especially important circumstances of March 1 case which are being hidden under the name of secrecy of preliminary investigation,” Kostanyan said, adding that the former “open, transparent and public” working style of law enforcement bodies has changed into “secrecy of preliminary investigation.”

“But in this case there is no secrecy of preliminary investigation as the SIS has not only published the circumstances of the case but even the names of witnesses and their testimonies. As to what testimonies these witnesses gave and against what, I will report during the public consultation,” Kostanyan said, adding that the Armenian PM must be interested in this public discussion having declared the transparency and open discussions with people as priorities and to understand whether what he is being reported in his room is trustworthy or not.

Kostanyan said that he is ready to be in Armenia a day before the day, the place, the hour and the format of the discussion is specified.

Applying to those injured during March 1 events and families of victims and really concerned citizens in particular, Kostanyan said, “Isn’t it clear that the path our law enforcement system follows does not answer to the most important question – in what circumstances your relatives died and received wounds and who the real guilty in their deaths are (…) Don’t you see that by involving well-known names in the criminal case an attempt is being made to divert the attention of the public from their inability or absence of will to find the real guilty of the murders of March 1?” he said, adding that he has never been member of a party and was never engaged in politics but just wants to inform the people in exclusively legal platform about the statements made about the ten murders and his personality and their groundings.