The Supreme Judicial Council, having examined the petition of the Minister of Justice Grigor Minasyan regarding the disciplinary action against Grigor Hovhannisyan, the Judge of the Criminal Court of Appeal, decided to satisfy it, and issued a warning to Grigor Hovhannisyan, the Judge of the Criminal Court of Appeal.

The judge had committed violations of the norms of procedural law; in particular, the judge did not justify the deviation from the precedential position of the Court of Cassation and annulled the act issued by the court of first instance regarding the accused as changing the preventive detention to house arrest. The mentioned violations, in turn, led to violation of judicial conduct of the judge defined by Article 69, Part 1, Clause 1 of the Judicial Code, ‘to refrain from practising any conduct discrediting the judiciary, as well as decreasing the public confidence in the independence and impartiality of the judiciary’.

At the same time, the SJC informs that members Arshak Vardanyan, Christine Mkoyan and Edgar Hovhannisyan voted against the decision. Arshak Vardanyan has a special opinion.

The decision is effective from the moment of publication and is final.