Parliament Speaker’s Suggestion Contradicts RA Legislation, Says Lawyer

Republican Party member Galust Sahakyan’s suggestion to delay the discussion of the demand to transfer suspected murderer of the Avetisyan family, Russian soldier Valery Permyakov to Armenia for one year does not abide to the RA Criminal code, said lawyer Harutyun Baghdasaryan (pictured) today to Epress.am. 

The Speaker of the National Assembly made the suggestion yesterday during the voting of the draft called “About transferring Valery Permyakov to the Republic of Armenia” into the parliamentary agenda. The draft, presented by Heritage Party faction MP Zaruhi Postanjyan, was rejected with 42 MPs voting for, 0 against, and 1 abstention. The parliamentary majority, Republican faction, did not participate in the vote. 

According to Baghdasaryan, the RA Criminal Procedure Code states that the issue of the extradition of the defendant can only be made in the preliminary investigation stage, and the preliminary investigation can not last more than one year. In other words, one year later the preliminary investigation would be finished.

“Permyakov has already been under custody for 3 months. Assume, if the Russian side finished their preliminary investigation in September and it entered the judicial stage, then we wouldn't be able demand Permyakov,” said Baghdasaryan. 

Note, that Republican Party faction Secretary Vahram Baghdasaryan justified the party's stance against the draft due to the latter’s objective of political manipulation, while “the Republicans want no part in such manipulations.”