"Atmosphere of unpunishability reigns in Armenia"
Ruben Sahakyan, Chairman of the Armenian Chamber of Advocates, says though bribery has relatively reduced, the state of justice is still miserable in the country.
"Everything is done to scale down bribery but I would like the struggle to be stopped. Everyone thinks that if the punishment is mild it means the judge or investigator is bribed. Many judges are careerists, consequently they return a tough verdict on the defendant," Ruben Sahakyan told A1+.
Regarding Nikol Pashjinyan's verdict, Mr. Sahakyan said, "It was a disgraceful trial."
Asked whether there has been a precedent when a defendant was sent to more years than the prosecutor demanded, Ruben Sahakyan said: "During the Soviet epoch the prosecutor demanded to send my cousin to four years' imprisonment, while the judge returned a verdict of five years. When asked why he made such a decision the judge said: "The prosecutor gave me nothing of the money he had taken."
Advocates face difficult times today, says the chairman of the Chamber of Advocates.
"Their state is worsening day by day. Advocates read a law and see that their petition must be granted but in reality it is not. There is an atmosphere of unpunishability in Armenia. I think that advocates will go on strike one day."
Mr. Sahakyan also spoke about advocates' shortcomings.
"If an advocate gets engaged in violations made by an investigator, prosecutor or judge, he also becomes a law-breaker. If an advocate keeps silent having at hand valuable proofs, he must be disbarred," he said promising to publicize the names of law breakers.
