Panorama.am

18:26 19/01/2007

MINISTER SAYS MATAGHISI CASE NEEDS FURTHER INVESTIGATION

`Military prosecutor’s office and courts have nothing to do with the
ministry of defense. They are out of ministry’s supervision and are
totally independent. I have never talked to any judge on any case. I
have never mediated for anyone and have no willingness to do so,’
Serzh Sargsyan, defense minister of Armenia, said speaking about
Mataghisi Case.

Sargsyan, however, is of negative opinion of the case. Two courts
have sentenced defendants to 15 years of imprisonment and later for
life sentence whereas the Appeal Court has released them and sent the
criminal case for further investigation. `I think it will be fair to
find out which judge is right. If the first and second judges made the
fair ruling, they must be rewarded and the third one punished and the
other way round,’ the minister said.

Source: Panorama.am