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Former President Robert Kocharyan’s lawyer Aram Orbelyan has explained the case behind a Prosecutor’s Office request to the Central Electoral Commission seeking permission to lift his immunity and file charges.
The Prosecutor’s Office of Armenia has submitted a motion to the Central Electoral Commission seeking consent to strip Robert Kocharyan, leader of the opposition Armenia Alliance and former President of Armenia, of immunity. The Armenia Alliance won 12 seats in the parliamentary elections, and Kocharyan is the number one candidate on the alliance list.
Orbelyan told reporters on Wednesday that the case concerns a transaction carried out in 2004 during Kocharyan’s presidency, which was approved by the Government of Armenia.
Orbelyan argued that the transaction has never been disputed and that neither Robert Kocharyan nor his family members have any connection to it.
“Later, in 2008, when Mr. Robert Kocharyan was no longer in office, his son Sedrak Kocharyan purchased a share in the company, paying a fairly large sum. And now they are trying to somehow link this to the 2004 transaction. This concerns the ‘Master Class’ tennis facility,” Orbelyan said.
He noted that the area had been leased, and the tenant began development using their own funds but, in 2008, faced financial difficulties and, while seeking investment, also approached Sedrak Kocharyan, who took part in the process accordingly.
Orbelyan denied any wrongdoing in the process.