On January 16, Anti-Corruption Court President Sargis Petrosyan ruled to accept the updated charges brought by prosecutors against former President Robert Kocharyan, Seyran Ohanyan, Yuri Khachaturov, and Armen Gevorgyan, allowing the legal reclassification of alleged offenses tied to the 2008 post-election crackdown.
Ohanyan and Gevorgyan, both current MPs, objected strongly, citing constitutional immunity that requires parliamentary approval for new charges. Petrosyan acknowledged that any amended indictment qualifies as a new charge, but said the underlying prosecution began in 2018, before either held parliamentary office.
All four had originally been charged under Article 300.1 for overthrowing the constitutional order. However, in 2021, the Constitutional Court ruled that article unconstitutional. The trial was initially terminated, but prosecutors later argued the acts could be requalified under different charges.
The case went through multiple appeals, eventually reaching the Supreme Court, which referred it to the Constitutional Court. In July 2024, the court ruled that prosecutors may change legal classifications of charges before a verdict is issued, even if one article was invalidated.
Following that, on September 12, 2024, the Supreme Court reversed the case's termination and sent it back for retrial.
Now, over a year into the retrial, the court has approved new charges of abuse or overreach of official authority.
Critics argue the case is politically motivated and legally flawed, particularly regarding the treatment of MPs and the long procedural delays. The court is expected to next revisit preliminary hearing issues that would normally be addressed at the start of trial.
