Armenian Special Investigative Service responds to Kostanyan's statement
04.02.2020,
11:40
The Special Investigative Service of Armenia responded Monday to Armenia's former prosecutor general Gevorg Kostanyan. Armenia's former prosecutor general Gevorg Kostanyan said earlier he was ready to return to Armenia from Russia and publicly answer all the questions regarding the March 1 criminal case. In Armenia Kostanyan is charged with complicity in official forgery, concealment of a crime, falsification of evidence in a civil case.
YEREVAN, February 4. /ARKA/. The Special Investigative Service of Armenia responded Monday to Armenia's former prosecutor general Gevorg Kostanyan. Armenia's former prosecutor general Gevorg Kostanyan said earlier he was ready to return to Armenia from Russia and publicly answer all the questions regarding the March 1 criminal case. In Armenia Kostanyan is charged with complicity in official forgery, concealment of a crime, falsification of evidence in a civil case.
In 2019 November, Armenia's law-enforcement authorities gave him 48 hours to appear before the Special Investigative Service (SIS) . Kostanyan, who was in Russia, ignored the request and was put by the SIS on its most-wanted list.
“Although the charges brought against me are devoid of any legal, logical and substantive basis, I express my readiness to return to Armenia and answer all the questions of the investigation body. I propose that a live public discussion be organized with the Prime Minister of Armenia or with his direct participation, also with the participation of the head of the Special Investigation Service and the Prosecutor General, legal scholars and international experts," Kostanyan said in a statement.
According to him, taking into account the scale of the March 1 case, and because of the unilateral presentation of the issue by the Armenian authorities on various international platforms, he insists that representatives of the Council of Europe and the European Union, as well as foreign ambassadors to Armenia, be invited and participate in the discussion.
“If during that discussion the law enforcement authorities succeed in presenting at least one evidence justifying the charges against me, I’m ready to bear the full criminal responsibility. After clarifying the date, time, place and format I promise to come back to Armenia one day before the discussion," Kostanyan said.
Responding to Kostanyan's statement, the Special Investigative Service says it finds it strange that Kostanyan, who has worked as prosecutor general, puts forward an unrealistic proposal and insists on public hearings on a criminal case knowing very well that this proposal can be considered as another reason to defy the summon.
As for Kostanyan's readiness to help in disclosing circumstances of the killing of ten people on March 1, the investigator service says he has already have this chance when was summoned as a witness.
"However, if he is sincere in his intentions to assist in the criminal case investigation, the Special Investigative Service is urging him again to come and provide information to the investigative agency in the frames set by the law without staging public performances and making declarations," the Special Investigative Service says in its statement.
The March 1 case dates back to late February and early March 2008 following the disputed presidential election, when then prime minister Serzh Sargsyan was declared the winner, angering the opposition, led by the first Armenian president Levon Ter-Petrosyan who set off 10 days of nonstop protests that led to a crackdown on March 1, in which 10 people were killed and more than 200 injured.
The SIS claims that Kostanyan and another aide to the ex-president Serzh Sargsyan ordered senior police officers to destroy evidence of the “overthrow of the constitutional order” on March 1, 2008 by Sargsyan's predecessor Robert Kocharyan. -0-
In 2019 November, Armenia's law-enforcement authorities gave him 48 hours to appear before the Special Investigative Service (SIS) . Kostanyan, who was in Russia, ignored the request and was put by the SIS on its most-wanted list.
“Although the charges brought against me are devoid of any legal, logical and substantive basis, I express my readiness to return to Armenia and answer all the questions of the investigation body. I propose that a live public discussion be organized with the Prime Minister of Armenia or with his direct participation, also with the participation of the head of the Special Investigation Service and the Prosecutor General, legal scholars and international experts," Kostanyan said in a statement.
According to him, taking into account the scale of the March 1 case, and because of the unilateral presentation of the issue by the Armenian authorities on various international platforms, he insists that representatives of the Council of Europe and the European Union, as well as foreign ambassadors to Armenia, be invited and participate in the discussion.
“If during that discussion the law enforcement authorities succeed in presenting at least one evidence justifying the charges against me, I’m ready to bear the full criminal responsibility. After clarifying the date, time, place and format I promise to come back to Armenia one day before the discussion," Kostanyan said.
Responding to Kostanyan's statement, the Special Investigative Service says it finds it strange that Kostanyan, who has worked as prosecutor general, puts forward an unrealistic proposal and insists on public hearings on a criminal case knowing very well that this proposal can be considered as another reason to defy the summon.
As for Kostanyan's readiness to help in disclosing circumstances of the killing of ten people on March 1, the investigator service says he has already have this chance when was summoned as a witness.
"However, if he is sincere in his intentions to assist in the criminal case investigation, the Special Investigative Service is urging him again to come and provide information to the investigative agency in the frames set by the law without staging public performances and making declarations," the Special Investigative Service says in its statement.
The March 1 case dates back to late February and early March 2008 following the disputed presidential election, when then prime minister Serzh Sargsyan was declared the winner, angering the opposition, led by the first Armenian president Levon Ter-Petrosyan who set off 10 days of nonstop protests that led to a crackdown on March 1, in which 10 people were killed and more than 200 injured.
The SIS claims that Kostanyan and another aide to the ex-president Serzh Sargsyan ordered senior police officers to destroy evidence of the “overthrow of the constitutional order” on March 1, 2008 by Sargsyan's predecessor Robert Kocharyan. -0-
