YEREVAN. – Reflecting on the criminal lawsuit filed against Vartan Oskanian, Armenia’s Human Rights Defender Karen Andreasyan told 168 Zham daily that he saw a political element in this case.

“He also added: ‘The National Assembly’s [NA] stripping [Oskanian] of [his] parliamentary immunity is considered a part of the legal process, but this always has a political element. That is, the NA MPs are given the political freedom to decide whether or not they consider credible those legal justifications which Armenia’s Prosecutor’s Office has presented. 

We cannot comment because if the case is at the investigation or trial phase and the MP has the right to express a position with respect to immunity, the Human Rights Defender is prohibited from intervening. Sadly, that is why in many cases we refrain from intervening at this phase of the case,’” 168 Zham writes.       

As Armenian News-NEWS.am informed earlier, the National Security Service (NSS) Department of Investigation has brought formal charges Monday against The Civilitas Foundation founder, former FM, and Prosperous Armenia Party MP 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.