YEREVAN. – Executive Director Salpi Ghazarian of Armenia’s The Civilitas Foundation was summoned again by the National Security Service (NSS), on Friday at 2pm, for questioning, the Foundation informs.  

As Armenian News-NEWS.am informed earlier, the NSS Department of Investigation had brought formal charges last year against The Civilitas Foundation Founder, Prosperous Armenia Party MP, and former FM Vartan Oskanian.

To note, on October 2, 2012, the National Assembly voted in favor of Prosecutor General’s petition to include Oskanian as a defendant in a criminal lawsuit.

On May 25, 2012, 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 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, and as per the NSS Press Center, The Civilitas Foundation had not presented a report on the $2 million that was allocated for charitable purposes. In his turn, Oskanian considers the charges to be politically motivated.

The Civilitas Foundation was founded in 2008 by Vartan Oskanian. After joining the Prosperous Armenia Party ahead of the May 6, 2012 parliamentary elections, however, Oskanian gave up his post as Foundation Chairman.