KOCHARIAN FIRES ‘DELINQUENT’ JUDGE
By Emil Danielyan

Radio Liberty, Czech Rep.
Oct 16 2007

An embattled Armenian judge was sacked by President Robert Kocharian
on Tuesday, a move which he described as a retaliation for his recent
acquittal of two businessmen at loggerheads with the government.

Kocharian signed a decree relieving Pargev Ohanian, a judge of a
district court in Yerevan, of his duties at the recommendation of
the Council of Justice, a presidentially appointed body overseeing
Armenia’s judicial system.

The council made the recommendation on Friday after considering
disciplinary proceedings launched against Ohanian by the Judicial
Department, another government-controlled body monitoring the work
of Armenian courts. The department claimed that his handling of two
dozen criminal and civil cases was accompanied by serious violations
of Armenian law.

The punitive action is being widely linked with Ohanian’s July 16
decision to acquit and free the owner and a top executive of the Royal
Armenia coffee packaging company who had been arrested on controversial
fraud charges two years ago. The arrests came after they publicly
alleged high-level corruption within the Armenian customs. In a rare
example of an Armenian court defying the government and prosecutors,
Ohanian dismissed the charges brought against them as baseless.

Ohanian believes that this is the reason why he lost his job.

Commenting on Kocharian’s decree, he said the violations allegedly
committed by him were too "negligible" to warrant his sacking. "That
gives me reason to claim that I am being persecuted for my [July]
verdict," he told RFE/RL.

Ohanian also claimed that the alleged persecution will not necessarily
be confined to his dismissal. "Everything can be expected," he said.

The Armenian authorities deny any connection between the businessmen’s
acquittal and Ohanian’s ouster, arguing that none of his alleged
violations relates to the Royal Armenia case. Still, former Justice
Minister David Harutiunian expressed concern last week at the timing of
the disciplinary action, saying that it "at least gives the impression
of a political link."