YEREVAN. – Armenia’s Court of Appeals on Criminal Affairs on Thursday rejected The Civilitas Foundation’s petition and stated that the Court of First Instance had made a lawful and a substantiated ruling.

To note, the Foundation had petitioned the annulment of the National Security Service (NSS) decision to file a lawsuit against Civilitas.

As Armenian News-NEWS.am informed earlier, on May 25 the NSS Department of Investigation filed a criminal lawsuit on charges of money laundering with respect to The Civilitas Foundation.

The NSS Press Center had informed that an investigation is underway in connection with selling the 100-percent shares of the Huntsman Building Products Company for around US$ 2 million, but not informing Armenia’s tax authorities about this business deal; not using for charitable purposes $1,135,000 of that amount envisioned for charity; transferring this amount to the bank accounts opened under the names of The Civilitas Foundation’s founder—and former FM and currently Prosperous Armenia Party MP—Vartan Oskanian,  and of the Foundation’s Board of Trustees member Tigran Karapetyan; and using some of this amount for private purposes.           

In addition, as per the NSS Press Center, The Civilitas Foundation had not presented a report on the $2 million allocated for charitable purposes.    

Photo by Sona Barseghyan