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On February 28, 2018 the Court of General Jurisdiction of Yerevan rejected HCA Vanadzor’s claim demanding to make a decision on the report with regard to Serzh Sargsyan’s statement.

With the claim filed with the court, HCA Vanadzor requested to oblige the RA General Prosecutor’s Office to make a decision on the crime report on the statement that was made by Serzh Sargsyan on December 9, 2017 and to provide the decision to the Organization.

In particular, in that statement S. Sargsyan mentioned, “It is not a secret that many community leaders abuse their position and use it to obtain incomprehensible and unacceptable incomes, starting from alienating lands belonging to the communities by trickery and different means and treating the community budgets dishonestly.”

Then, he added, “We have been very forgiving to the community leaders. We have been forgiving as we believed that they had to establish themselves, the system had to establish itself and during this period some negative manifestations are possible. I would like to warn all of you, not to scare you, just to warn you that if anyone needs to practice these things, they had better go and work in a different place. We are not ready to see how some of you are taking the money of our population to your homes. It’s a shame!”

HCA Vanadzor recorded that Serzh Sargsyan intentionally concealed the crimes committed by the community leaders, as a result of which they were not subjected to legal assessment.

On these grounds, HCA Vanadzor requested to bring to criminal responsibility Serzh Sargsyan and the community leaders and mediators mentioned in the statement under several articles of the RA Criminal Code, including on suspicion of abuse of official authority, concealment of grave crimes and taking bribes.

The RA General Prosecutor’s Office did not make any decision in accordance with the provisions of the RA Criminal Procedure Code on the basis of the crime report submitted by HCA Vanadzor. Nor did it undertake any measures to check the facts mentioned in the report although in his speech Serzh Sargsyan had indicated crime cases and presented them as undeniable facts.

Despite this, the Prosecutor’s Office did not see any details indicating crime elements in the report.

Moreover, during the examination of the case at the court, in response to the court’s question, the representative of the RA General Prosecutor’s Office informed that, apart from the response letter provided to HCA Vanadzor, they could not provide the court with any other materials connected with the crime report as there were none.

This means that it was also obvious for the court that the Prosecutor’s Office demonstrated inaction not only by not making any respective decisions on the report but also by not implementing any investigative and procedural action with regard to the facts mentioned.

With the ruling rejecting the complaint, the court in fact turned a blind eye to these circumstances.

HCA Vanadzor is going to appeal the court ruling.