Former RA Military Prosecutor Gagik Jhangiryan, whose candidacy is currently being discussed for the vacant position of a member of the Supreme Judicial Council, met today, on 13 January, with the “My Step” faction of the National Assembly.

After the meeting, he answered several questions of the journalists.

Jhangiryan responded to the observation that there is a concern among human rights activists that Gagik Jhangiryan cannot be an objective member of the Supreme Judicial Council, pointing out that the Mataghis case was covered up during his tenure as a military prosecutor. “What crime was covered up when I was a prosecutor? The case is being investigated by the Investigation Department for 2 years now, why aren’t the real criminals identified, if there are any, why aren’t the previous authorities accusing me of “committing a crime” that I committed a crime there?

I was accused of pushing a police officer in 2008, so let them find a serious accusation, abuse of official position, I do not know what… covering murders and  sentence me to long-term imprisonment on serious charges.

In the Mataghis case, when those convicts were released from detention, they were released, they were not acquitted, I have already serving in the General Prosecutor’s Office, and the military prosecutor was Armen Khachaturyan. As a result of the additional preliminary investigation, the new military prosecutor confirmed the indictment with the same charges and sent the same indictment with the same charges to the court. While examining the case in court, the military prosecutor was Gevorg Kostanyan. And Gevorg Kostanyan himself took that case to the end. Why don’t you mention Khachaturyan, Kostanyan and other names? However two prosecutors did the same thing as Jhangiryan?”

He mentioned that immediately after the acquittal he announced that he did not change his opinion.