YEREVAN (RFE/RL) — Armenia’s Prosecutor-General Gevorg Kostanian unexpectedly stepped down on Thursday, citing health reasons.
Kostanian’s press secretary, Kristine Melkonian, said he informed other senior prosecutors about the resignation at a meeting held at the Office of the Prosecutor-General in Yerevan. She said Kostanian told them that he decided to quit “because of health problems” and that President Serzh Sargsyanhas accepted his resignation.
In a Facebook post, Melkonian did not specify those problems.
Sargsyan’s spokesman, Vladimir Hakobian, confirmed the surprise move. “I am confident that after Mr. Kostanian’s health problems are solved, his capabilities will again be used for addressing state issues,” he told 168.am.
Kostanian became prosecutor-general at the age of 35 almost three years ago. His candidacy for the post was nominated by Sargsyan and approved by the Armenian parliament.
Kostanian had previously served as Armenia’s chief military prosecutor, a deputy minister of justice and a legal assistant to Sargsyan. He has reportedly had a frosty relationship with the previous prosecutor-general, Aghvan Hovsepian. The latter now runs another law-enforcement agency, the Investigative Committee.
