Karabakh Open
Oct 13 2007

Why Chair of Supreme Court was dismissed

NKR President Bako Sahakyan signed a decree on dismissing the chair
of the Supreme Court Vladimir Osipyan. According to the news release
of the head information office of the NKR president, the powers of
the judge of the supreme court were suspended. We tried to find out
why the judge had been dismissed, but the information office declined
to comment and referred to the information they had provided.
Meanwhile, in accordance with the legislation, courts are independent
from the government. According to Article 110 of the Constitution, a
judge cannot be dismissed, and remains in office until age 65. A
judge is released of duties only in the cases and by the procedure
provided for by the Constitution and the law.
According to the article on president, the head of state nominates
the judges of the Supreme Court, according to Article 116 the head of
states appoints the judges of the district courts, the Court of
Appeal, and other courts, dismisses a judge, approves proceedings,
arrest or administrative proceedings against a judge. According to
Article 113, the top judicial body in Nagorno-Karabakh Republic is
the Supreme Court. The chair and the other judges of the Court are
nominated by the president and affirmed by the National Assembly.
It is not clear why the chair of the Supreme Court was dismissed,
whether he had committed an offense or had reached age 65.