The Anti-Corruption Committee (ACC) detained the 60-year-old judge, Artush Gabrielian, on Tuesday just as he presided over a hearing at a district court in Yerevan. The Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) suspended Gabrielian and gave the green light for his indictment on Wednesday. Another court allowed the ACC to hold him in detention pending investigation.
The investigators have so far released no details of the charges levelled against Gabrielian, saying only that he took a bribe. If convicted, he will face between 7 and 12 years in prison. A friend of the judge and his assistant have also been arrested in the corruption inquiry.
One of Gabrielian’s lawyers, Aleksandr Kochubayev, also declined to shed light on the charges denied by his client. He said that they are based on “gossips” and wiretapped phone conversations “taken out of context.”
Gabrielian, who had taken the bench in 2003, became last year the first Armenian judge who risks losing his personal assets which law-enforcement authorities say have been acquired illegally. They are seeking to confiscate five properties, four cars and at least 63 million drams ($160,000) in cash belonging to him and his family.
Armenian opposition groups, lawyers and media have for years accused Gabrielian of executing government orders to help jail prominent critics of the government. The judge has approved arrest warrants issued for several such individuals.