The Investigative Committee has opened a criminal case regarding the apparent abuse of official powers by Constitutional Court President Hrayr Tovmasyan during the years he served as Minister of Justice.
According to the report, data have been obtained regarding Hrayr Tovmasyan’s direct involvement in the apparently committed crimes, and it has been established that the premises at 14 Baghramyan Lane, unit 162, were in fact acquired by Tovmasyan through an auction organized by the Yerevan Municipality.
Azatutyun attempted to obtain the Constitutional Court president’s response to this criminal case from the court’s press office, where it was stated that Tovmasyan is currently on vacation; “For that reason, problems may arise purely from the standpoint of communication with him.”
Azatutyun visited the aforementioned premises, where 3 notary offices operate. The notaries refused to comment in front of the camera, but stated that they had leased the premises from a private owner; as to from whom, they did not open the parentheses, noting that the case is at the stage of preliminary investigation and they cannot answer any questions.
In turn, late in the evening of 28 October, the investigative department of the National Security Service also reported a criminal case related to the Ministry of Justice, without naming who the suspects in this case are, but the investigative actions partly relate also to the years of Tovmasyan’s tenure.
According to this report, cases of apparent abuse of official powers by high-ranking officials during 2011-2015 and of aiding such abuse have been identified, which relate to construction works, as well as to the registration of the ministry’s driver in other positions as well, as a result of which an amount exceeding the driver’s salary by approximately 1 million 841 thousand drams was written off.
In parallel, the Special Investigative Service is conducting the examination of the criminal case opened on the charge of seizing power, in which 2 persons are now involved as defendants: former National Assembly President Ara Babloyan and former deputy head of the NA staff Arsen Babayan. However, the core criminal case concerns aiding Hrayr Tovmasyan in becoming President of the Constitutional Court until 2040 through various violations.
Despite the cases opened at 3 different criminal bodies, the members of the National Assembly’s “My Step” faction, as well as other representatives of the “Civil Contract” party, refuse to view what has transpired around Tovmasyan within a political framework.
