YEREVAN. – Opposition bloc Armenian National Congress’ National Assembly (NA) MP Nikol Pashinyan accused Prosecutor General Aghvan Hovsepyan of appropriating a vehicle.  

Pashinyan lashed this accusation during NA discussions on Hovsepyan’s formal petition to include The Civilitas Foundation founder, former FM, and currently Prosperous Armenia Party MP Vartan Oskanian as a defendant in a criminal lawsuit.  

“If we replace Vartan Oskanian’s name with Aghvan Hovsepyan’s, a lawsuit can be filed on the same charges,” Pashinyan argued because, in his words, the Prosecutor General has appropriated his Volkswagen Phaeton-model service car.  

Nikol Pashinyan stated that the aforesaid petition does not state as to whom the money, which Oskanian is alleged to have embezzled, belongs to. In response, Aghvan Hovsepyan noted that a criminal case is filed likewise on appropriation and squandering charges. And with respect to Pashinyan’s accusations made against him, the Prosecutor General stated that he is ready to testify.   

As Armenian News-NEWS.am informed earlier, on May 25 the National Security Service 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 $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—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