YEREVAN. – What is transpiring with The Civilitas Foundation founder, former FM, and Prosperous Armenia Party MP Vartan Oskanian is a huge political mistake, former Deputy FM, Ambassador Arman Navasardian stated during a press conference on Monday. “I don’t know who organized it, [and] why, and I’m not even saying whether Vartan is right or wrong. But this is a huge political mistake,” he noted.     

In his words, it is comical when “old men with serious-looking faces” sit and decide whether or not to remove Oskanian’s parliamentary immunity, and they do not even take into account as to how this will affect Armenia’s international standing.  

Navasardian noted that this is an internal matter which already has gone beyond Armenia’s borders, and Armenian diplomats need to consider that they still will have to work abroad after this development.  

The former Deputy FM predicted that, following this incident, a corresponding demeanor and view will be shaped toward Armenia’s diplomats working in other countries.  

As Armenian News-NEWS.am informed earlier, the National Security Service (NSS) Department of Investigation has brought formal charges Monday against Vartan Oskanian.

To note, on October 2 the National Assembly voted—by 64 ballots for, six against, and with one invalid vote—in favor of Prosecutor General’s petition to include Vartan Oskanian as a defendant in a criminal lawsuit. A total of 71 MPs participated in the voting.

On May 25 NSS Department of Investigation had 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. In his turn, Vartan Oskanian considers the charges to be politically motivated.

The Civilitas Foundation was founded in 2008 by Vartan Oskanian. After joining Prosperous Armenia Party ahead of the May 6 parliamentary elections, however, Oskanian gave up his post as the Foundation Chairman.

Photo by Sona Barseghyan