YEREVAN. – The Civilitas Foundation founder, former FM, and currently Prosperous Armenia Party (PAP) MP Vartan Oskanian was “alone” on Monday and, understandably, very concerned and in a terribly bad mood, Hraparak daily writes.  

“He was sitting alone in his [National Assembly (NA)] office until the start of the session, [and] the only person from PAP [NA Faction] who was caringly entering [to] and leaving [from Oskanian’s office] was [United Labor Party Chairman] Gurgen Arsenyan. Subsequently, Oskanian himself went to Arsenyan’s VIP office, where they discussed the list of those who [could] ‘vote in favor’ [of the petition].  

According to our sources, he [that is, Oskanian] is hurt from [PAP leader] Gagik Tsarukyan’s absence [during the NA discussions] because he understands that he could be arrested in case of political necessity, and the only person who can obstruct this is not along his side when needed,” Hraparak writes. 

To note, the NA is discussing the Prosecutor General’s formal petition to include Vartan Oskanian as a defendant in a criminal lawsuit.

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 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.