ArmInfo.Acting head of the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) Gagik Jhangiryan cannot participate in the consideration of disciplinary proceedings against Ruben Vardazaryan, including in terms of making a decision. Lawyer Aram Vardevanyan, a MP from the "Armenia" opposition faction, stated this referring to the scandalous recording of the conversation between Jhangiryan and the dismissed head of the Supreme Judicial Council Ruben Vardazaryan, which was released yesterday.
According to him, from a legal point of view, there are several indisputable starting points for the situation around the SJC-Jhangiryan.
Vardevanyan added that having a number of subjective observations, however, he will confine himself to presenting objective ones.
"Firstly, a criminal case should be initiated against Gagik Jhangiryan. Secondly, Gagik Jhangiryan cannot participate in the consideration of disciplinary proceedings against Ruben Vardazaryan, including in terms of making a decision. Given the first circumstance, Jhangiryan's powers must inevitably be suspended, it will apply to all proceedings. And thirdly, irreparable damage has been done to the reputation of the judiciary, especially the SJC, and the legitimacy of the 2021 elections," Vardevanyan concluded. It should be noted that on June 20, the temporarily dismissed Chairman of the Supreme Judicial Council Ruben Vardazaryan presented a scandalous recording of a conversation with Acting Chairman of the Supreme Judicial Council Gagik Jhangiryan and a member of the Supreme Judicial Council Stepan Mikayelyan, which took place on February 20, 2021. In this conversation, Jhangiryan persuades Vardazaryan to leave his post, while asking him to do it "for good, quietly and peacefully." He advises to think about the future of children, family and assures that if he leaves, then all criminal cases initiated against him will be terminated. "I guarantee you this as long as I'm alive," according to the recording Jhangiryan said.
After the recording was published, the Prosecutor General's Office announced that the recording of the conversation between Gagik Jhangiryan, member of the SJC Stepan Mikayelyan, and Ruben Vardazaryan, had been sent to the Investigative Committee for study.
And the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) reported that the decision on the case against Vardazaryan would be made public on June 23. It should be reminded that Gagik Jhangiryan was appointed Acting Chairman of the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) at a closed meeting on April 15, 2021. Prior to this, Vardazaryan's powers were suspended, however, he never officially resigned.
