News - Armenia Anti-Corruption Committee chief comments on court decision to acquit 3rd President Serzh Sargsyan

We had the conviction that a crime had taken place. Chairman of the Anti-Corruption Committee of Armenia, Sasun Khachatryan, said this in response to the RFE/RL Armenian Service’s question as to whether he agrees with the court decision to acquit third President Serzh Sargsyan. Khachatryan previously headed the Special Investigation Service off Armenia. "I headed the agency that sent that criminal case to the court. Therefore we had the conviction that a crime had taken place, and the person in question committed that crime," Khachatryan said. After more than four years of trial, a Yerevan court acquitted the third president of Armenia last week, denying the prosecution's accusation that during his presidency, Serzh Sargsyan organized the embezzlement of about half a billion drams from the state budget. "If I'm not mistaken, the prosecution has already announced that it will file an appeal. When the verdict becomes legally in force, then we will talk," added Sasun Khachatryan.