"THEY ARE READY TO DO THEIR BEST TO AVOID RESPONSIBILITY, IF NECESSARY -TO ACCUSE THE INNOCENT"

Panorama.am
20:18 05/02/2007

‘In 2006 the courts inflicted obviously moderate sentences’, Gagik
Jhangiryan, Deputy Prosecutor General said during the sitting of the
board of the prosecutor general’s office. He also added that they
would not submit to that fact. "Why do those in the Office of Public
Prosecutor complain of the punitive measures fixed by the courts",
asks Chairman of RA Chamber of Advocacy Rouben Sahakyan and adds: "Yes,
sometimes judges impose moderate sentences, but it is strange why they
do not speak of frequently inflicted stiff punishments". According
to him, there is a fact in Armenia, when a moderate punishment is
imposed and no complaint is made to the superior court for making
more severe the punishment, it means that the prosecutor agrees with
the punitive measure, even if the verdict is unfair.

Rouben Sahakyan says that the answer to this question here is the
following: either the both parties have come to mutual agreement or
there is a personal and other interest or manifestation of corruption
exists.

"And if there is not an agreement, then the prosecutor often complains
of the moderateness of the sentence", says the head of the chamber
of advocacy.

>>From his point of view, it is very easy to imagine for us, the
citizens of this country: "The corruption exists both in the courts
and in the prosecutor’s office, and sometimes advocates take their
part in it". According to his deep conviction, in this society nobody
is ready to fulfill justice, neither the courts nor the investigators
nor prosecutors and the advocates. "Every one is ready to do his
best to avoid responsibility or if it is necessary – to accuse the
innocent. If they want to seize a business from anybody, then they
are ready to accuse him, if they want to harm anybody, so they can
give false testimony or evidence".