OSKANIAN UNDER FIRE: CHARGES AGAINST CIVILITAS RAISE QUESTION OF JUDICIAL PROPRIETY
By Siranuysh Gevorgyan
ArmeniaNow
12.06.12 | 13:44
The Prosperous Armenia Party (PAP) is deeply concerned about the
recent developments related to PAP lawmaker, former Foreign Minister
of Armenia Vartan Oskanian, who was summoned by the National Security
Service of Armenia (NSS) to offer testimony in relation to a criminal
case regarding money laundering last week.
On Monday Oskanian released a statement saying that the case filed
by the NSS (formerly the KGB) involves himself and the Civilitas
Foundation, which Oskanian founded.
The former foreign minister says: “It is obvious to me that the
criminal case that has been opened is politically motivated.”
“We are deeply concerned about this incident and we have no reason
not to believe Mister Oskanian’s statement, saying that the Civilitas
Foundation has been transparent, and operated in accordance with the
spirit and the letter of Armenian law. I believe that it is at least
odd that the incident coincided with Oskanian’s political activation.
These are questions which need answers,” Naira Zohrabyan, Secretary
of PAP parliamentary faction, told ArmeniaNow on Tuesday.
Zohrabyan also said that the PAP will “give a certain assessment to
the incident in the near future.”
Civilitas Foundation was founded in 2008, after former President of
Armenia Robert Kocharyan left his office, and his long-term Foreign
Minister Oskanian also finished his political career. Oskanian returned
to the politics this year, when in February he joined the PAP, and as a
result, he was elected a lawmaker by the PAP proportional list. During
this period of time the former foreign minister has repeatedly voiced
sharp criticism about the policy carried out by the authorities.
In his statement Oskanian claims that “from the start, the Civilitas
Foundation has been transparent, and operated in accordance with the
spirit and the letter of Armenian law.” He also believes that it is
“strange and astonishing” that his work and the work of Civilitas can
in any way be linked to money laundering or illegally acquired funds.
“Even more astonishing is that such a question is being raised at a
time when I have entered politics,” Oskanian concludes.
Representatives of the ruling Republican Party of Armenia (RPA),
however, refute that the criminal case launched at the NSS has any
political context.
“I exclude any political context related to this issue, and no one has
been charged. Generally, the thing is that simply some details must be
clarified. There is no need to look for any political context here,”
Republican Prime Minister of Armenia Tigran Sargsyan told RFE/RL’s
Armenian service on Tuesday.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
Disclaimer: This article was contributed and translated into English by Emil Lazarian. While we strive for quality, the views and accuracy of the content remain the responsibility of the contributor. Please verify all facts independently before reposting or citing.
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