Armenian high court's chief urges lawyers to initiate court proceeding against Pashinyan

A lawyer for Hrayr Tovmasyan says on Facebook that the Constitutional Court's chair has urged the team of attorneys to initiate a lawsuit against Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan over a statement made at the recent press conference.

"Chair of the Constitutional Court Hrayr Tovmasyan has read Nikol Pashinyan's 'disproportionate article' and asked us to prepare the court claim," reads Amram Makinyan's post.

At the big public event held in Kapan (Syunik region) on Saturday, Pashinyan spoke of "services repeatedly offered to me" by the high court's chairman. Tovmasyan dismissed the claim in a subsequent statement.

"I have never submitted any proposal to either Pashinyan or any other representative of the authorities as far as my tenure is concerned.

"I urge Pashinyan to make a public reference to at least a single fact or factual evidence [to prove] that ever since May 2018 I offered 'my services' - directly or indirectly - to him or any representative of the authorities, 'proposing them steps' potentially tempting Pashinyan or his political force to extend their support to me or the Constitutional Court," reads the text of his message shared on Facebook.

Tovmasyan added that he would wait for 20 days until the prime minister published an objective fact or credible evidence to substantiate his allegation.

"In case of a failure to do so, I will ask my lawyers to lodge a defamation lawsuit against Pashinyan," he said.

In a subsequent post on Facebook late on Sunday, the premier promised to make the requested substantial proof public "upon reaching Yerevan". He later shared a photo of a pen, claiming that it was a gift from the high court's chairman.