Guilty verdict stands for former Chief Justice despite appeals

The Anti-Corruption Court of Appeal upheld the verdict of the Yerevan Court of General Jurisdiction which found former Chief Justice and former Minister of Justice of Armenia Hrayr Tovmasyan guilty of misconduct.

Tovmasyan was found guilty in 2024 on two counts under Part 1 of Article 308 of the previous Criminal Code, hence he was cleared of liability due to the statute of limitations. He has denied wrongdoing. 

The charges pertain to abuse of official authority when Tovmasyan was Minister of Justice in the Serzh Sargsyan administration. 

An appeal had been filed by the prosecutor against the verdict, specifically regarding the requalification of the acts and the application of the statute of limitations. The defense attorneys had also filed appeals, requesting full acquittal for Tovmasyan. 

The court rejected the appeals and left the verdict unchanged, the general prosecution said in a press release.