YEREVAN. – The Prosperous Armenia Party (PAP) group will boycott sessions of the National Assembly (NA).

Immediately after delivering speeches the PAP MPs will leave the NA session and the building not to vote on the Prosecutor General’s petition on Vartan Oskanian, PAP group secretary Naira Zohrabyan said addressing the lawmakers.

As it was earlier reported, the NA on Monday holds discussions on the petition by the Prosecutor General to involve Oskanian as a defendant in the criminal case on money laundering.

The MP also said that the group will discuss reasonability of further participating in the NA sessions, they will boycott all the sessions at least during this week.

According to her, the petition has no legal basis and is simply a political step against Oskanian and the PAP. It is a political order, and all international institutions, in particular the PACE, will be aware of it.

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 $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.

In his turn, Vartan Oskanian considers the charges are politically motivated.

Civilitas was founded in 2008 by former foreign minister Vartan Oskanian. After joining Prosperous Armenia Party ahead of the May 6 parliamentary elections, Oskanian gave up his post as a foundation chairman.