Hrayr Tovmasyan, the former chairman of Armenia’s Constitutional Court, dismissed the criminal charges against him as baseless and politically motivated during his lengthy trial in Yerevan on Wednesday.
In 2019, Tovmasyan and several other judges faced intense pressure from the government to resign, as Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan accused them of having close ties to the previous administration and obstructing his “judicial reforms.” Despite the pressure, they remained in their positions.
Even after being indicted in December 2019, Tovmasyan refused to step down. Prosecutors alleged that he had improperly privatized an office in Yerevan and coerced state notaries into renting other properties he controlled during his tenure as justice minister from 2010 to 2014.
Pashinyan and his political allies eventually managed to overhaul the Constitutional Court through controversial constitutional amendments passed by the Armenian parliament in 2020. These amendments mandated the gradual resignation of seven of the nine justices who disagreed with Pashinyan’s government, including Tovmasyan, who was forced to step down as court chairman but remained a judge. Tovmasyan, along with the ousted judges and the Armenian opposition, contended that these amendments violated legal procedures.
Tovmasyan spent over five hours presenting his final arguments in a trial that began more than four years ago. He suggested that his prosecution was a consequence of his refusal to comply with Pashinyan’s directives.
“I assert that the criminal prosecution against me has been conducted in breach of the law,” Tovmasyan told the Yerevan court. “Specifically, the investigation was underway long before formal charges were filed against me.”
Last month, the prosecutors requested a seven-year prison sentence for Tovmasyan, alleging that he is attempting to delay the proceedings until the statute of limitations for his alleged crimes expires in December. The presiding judge has since sought to expedite the trial.
One prosecutor indicated that Tovmasyan would be required to leave the Constitutional Court even if he were convicted but avoided imprisonment. The former chief justice has yet to comment on this possibility.
