YEREVAN. – The ruling Republican Party of Armenia (RPA) has not yet decided on its course of action with respect to the Prosecutor General’s formal petition to include The Civilitas Foundation founder, former FM, and currently Prosperous Armenia Party (PAP) MP Vartan Oskanian as a defendant in a criminal lawsuit, RPA Vice Chairman and National Assembly (NA) Faction leader Galust Sahakyan told news reporters.  

To note, the NA is discussing the aforesaid petition on Monday.

“We still don’t have answers to the questions of our interest, [and] naturally, a clear decision on this matter will not be made as of yet,” Sahakyan noted.   

He added that the NA “is not an investigative authority.” It is just that this issue has received a public response and, in addition, each MP has the task of making a decision in this matter, Sahakyan stated. “We aren’t criticizing Vartan Oskanian; we don’t have that right,” he added.

To remind, PAP Chairman Gagik Tsarukyan is not attending the NA session.      

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