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NEWSPAPER REPORT SAYS OSKANIAN TO BE STRIPPED OF PARLIAMENTARY IMMUNITY, PROSECUTOR'S OFFICE, MP'S ASSOCIATES UNAWARE
By Gohar Abrahamyan
ArmeniaNow
25.09.12 | 15:54
Officials in the Prosecutor's Office do not confirm an opposition daily
report that a motion will soon be brought in the National Assembly to
strip Vartan Oskanian, a former foreign minister and current lawmaker
with the Prosperous Armenia Party (PAP), of his parliamentary immunity
as part of an ongoing money laundering investigation involving a
think tank that he formerly headed.
The Hraparak daily reported on Tuesday, citing its sources "close to
the leadership in the National Assembly", that the parliament may
be called to discuss at the next session Prosecutor-General Aghvan
Hovsepyan's motion to strip Oskanian of his parliamentary immunity
and involve him as a 'defendant' in the case being investigated by
the National Security Service (NSS).
"This, however, does not mean that Oskanian will be arrested. At this
stage they just want to strip him of his parliamentary immunity so that
he may go to the NSS as a 'defendant', but remaining an MP. In actual
fact, the authorities are attempting to resolve this and remaining
matters in phases, and without burning all bridges," the report said.
But neither the Prosecutor-General's Office, nor Oskanian confidants
have confirmed the newspaper report to ArmeniaNow.
Sona Truzyan, a spokeswoman for the Prosecutor-General's Office,
told ArmeniaNow that they did not possess any such information. And
Oskanian's assistant, Civilitas Foundation public relations officer
Mane Gevorgyan said they, too, learned about it from the media and
would provide a reaction to it later on.
PAP lawmaker and spokesman Tigran Urikhanyann said that "there is no
legal process" in this regard.
The criminal investigation against Civilitas, which was founded
by Oskanian in 2008 and was led by him until last February when he
joined the PAP, was launched in late May, shortly after parliamentary
elections.
Oskanian said then that the criminal case was politically motivated
and in fact was a retribution for his hard-hitting criticism of the
government in the lead-up to the legislative polls. It was in May that
the PAP refused to renew a coalition with the ruling Republican Party
of Armenia (RPA), which lead to speculation that Gagik Tsarukyan,
the PAP leader, would also refuse to throw his political weight
behind the RPA leader and current president Serzh Sargsyan in next
February's presidential vote, while the party will choose to field
its own candidate, possibly Oskanian.
Oskanian, who served as foreign minister during Robert Kocharyan's
10-year presidency in 1998-2008, is also believed to be a close
associate of the ex-president who is also said to be contemplating
a possible political comeback using the PAP as his support base.
From: Baghdasarian
By Gohar Abrahamyan
ArmeniaNow
25.09.12 | 15:54
Officials in the Prosecutor's Office do not confirm an opposition daily
report that a motion will soon be brought in the National Assembly to
strip Vartan Oskanian, a former foreign minister and current lawmaker
with the Prosperous Armenia Party (PAP), of his parliamentary immunity
as part of an ongoing money laundering investigation involving a
think tank that he formerly headed.
The Hraparak daily reported on Tuesday, citing its sources "close to
the leadership in the National Assembly", that the parliament may
be called to discuss at the next session Prosecutor-General Aghvan
Hovsepyan's motion to strip Oskanian of his parliamentary immunity
and involve him as a 'defendant' in the case being investigated by
the National Security Service (NSS).
"This, however, does not mean that Oskanian will be arrested. At this
stage they just want to strip him of his parliamentary immunity so that
he may go to the NSS as a 'defendant', but remaining an MP. In actual
fact, the authorities are attempting to resolve this and remaining
matters in phases, and without burning all bridges," the report said.
But neither the Prosecutor-General's Office, nor Oskanian confidants
have confirmed the newspaper report to ArmeniaNow.
Sona Truzyan, a spokeswoman for the Prosecutor-General's Office,
told ArmeniaNow that they did not possess any such information. And
Oskanian's assistant, Civilitas Foundation public relations officer
Mane Gevorgyan said they, too, learned about it from the media and
would provide a reaction to it later on.
PAP lawmaker and spokesman Tigran Urikhanyann said that "there is no
legal process" in this regard.
The criminal investigation against Civilitas, which was founded
by Oskanian in 2008 and was led by him until last February when he
joined the PAP, was launched in late May, shortly after parliamentary
elections.
Oskanian said then that the criminal case was politically motivated
and in fact was a retribution for his hard-hitting criticism of the
government in the lead-up to the legislative polls. It was in May that
the PAP refused to renew a coalition with the ruling Republican Party
of Armenia (RPA), which lead to speculation that Gagik Tsarukyan,
the PAP leader, would also refuse to throw his political weight
behind the RPA leader and current president Serzh Sargsyan in next
February's presidential vote, while the party will choose to field
its own candidate, possibly Oskanian.
Oskanian, who served as foreign minister during Robert Kocharyan's
10-year presidency in 1998-2008, is also believed to be a close
associate of the ex-president who is also said to be contemplating
a possible political comeback using the PAP as his support base.
From: Baghdasarian