UNEXPECTED VERDICT

A1+
[09:01 pm] 25 September, 2008

Today the Kentron-Nork Marash district court presided by Judge Gayane
Karakhanyan reached an unexpected verdict and approved the arbitration
to release former Minister of State Revenues, member of the "Republic"
party political council Smbat Ayvazyan and his lawyers. The court
clarified the verdict with the rather substantiated reasons stated
in the text written by the lawyers, according to which on September
10 Gayane Karakhanyan had received the case, yet she had not defined
the procedure and deadlines for sending arbitrations and/or appeals
to court. The verdict was sent to the lawyers on September 15 and
they did not have the chance to present the arbitrations before the
court hearing.

Gayane Karakhanyan has selected Ayvazyan’s pretrial measures once and
delayed them twice; however, lawyers claim that he was kept in prison
illegally. The arbitration states that with the approval of the three
pretrial arbitrations, the presiding judge already has biased opinions
regarding the guiltiness of the prisoner, the outcome and she can’t
be subjective about the case in question. The judge had to dismiss
the court taking into account the circumstances.

Those present in the court-room applauded the judge on her way
out. Smbat Ayvazyan stated that this is also a fight and is yet
another victory for the opposition. "Next time the plaintiff will
give up. They have no other way out; this is not a case. This is yet
another loss for the criminal regime," said Smbat Ayvazyan.

Perhaps the verdict was unexpected for the plaintiff as well, but
he wasn’t really surprised. "It is up to the court to decide," said
Hovsep Sargsyan. Is it possible to see the plaintiff step down? In
response to that he said: "They have not dismissed us. If they do
and if it is substantiated, then I will accept it. If not, then I
will obviously not accept it," told "A1+" plaintiff Hovsep Sargsyan.