At the Anti-Corruption Civil Court today, May 27, the hearing continued in the case of forced confiscation of allegedly illegally obtained property belonging to Goris Mayor Arush Arushanyan. The session is presided over by Judge Lili Drmeyan.

According to Iravaban.net, Anna Harutyunyan, prosecutor of the Prosecutor General’s Office department for cases of confiscation of illegally obtained property, requested to postpone the court session to present a position regarding the Constitutional Court’s decision of April 16, asking for one and a half months’ time.

Presiding Judge Lili Drmeyan announced that at the previous session, the respondent party had presented a position regarding the origin of property in the context of the Constitutional Court decision. She inquired from Habet Martirosyan, representative of respondent Arush Arushanyan, why the position stated that property relating to any period prior to 2011 or 2017 cannot become the subject of dispute in this case.

The lawyer said that according to the study materials, 2011 refers to the first dividend received by Arush Arushanyan: “We have presented to the court relevant documents showing that the income received in 2011 is completely legal. The property presented in that year was considered somewhat illegal according to the prosecution’s assessment, while we say this cannot be the subject of discussion of illegal property.”

The presiding judge clarified whether the lawyer’s position is that property acquired before taking office is not subject to confiscation. The latter gave a positive answer, noting that property acquired in the period preceding 2017 is legal and cannot be the subject of investigation, including in the context of the Constitutional Court decision.

The plaintiff’s representative, in response to the judge’s question, stated that according to the lawsuit, 2 properties were acquired in 2017. He requested scheduling another hearing day to provide a complete response regarding the further examination of the case and the position presented by the respondent party.

Arushanyan’s representative again insisted that the prosecution should completely withdraw the presented claim, since the position details the starting points by which the Constitutional Court made reference in the context of these civil cases.

The next hearing in the case will take place on June 11.

Mariam Shahnazaryan