Kocharian vs Zhanak: libel lawsuit in Court of Appeal
The Civil Court of Appeal is scheduled to publish on October 11 a judicial act on a libel lawsuit filed by the family of Armenia's second President Robert Kocharian against pro-opposition newspaper Zhamanak.
Kocharian's family sued the daily for publishing ‘untrue' reports implicating the family in large-scale business activities. In a series of articles published in September, the "Zhamanak" daily claimed that Kocharian is involved in lucrative imports of pharmaceuticals and owns a chain of drug stores through his wife Bella. Citing an unnamed source, it also alleged that Kocharian's elder son Sedrak has purchased a diamond mine in India.
Kocharian and his family members dismissed the reports as a fraud through the ex-president's spokesman and legal counsels. They sued the paper for defamation of character, demanding 6 million drams in compensatory damages (3 million drams for court expenses and another 3 million for moral damages).
Court of General Jurisdiction of Kentron and Nork-Marash districts has partially satisfied the lawsuit against the opposition newspaper. The Court ruled that the newspaper must publish retractions and pay the family 3 million drams in moral compensation.
