YEREVAN. – Armenia’s Civilitas Foundation Director Salpi Ghazarian, who was summoned on Friday for a questioning at the National Security Service (NSS), refused to provide testimony.    

Ghazarian said that even though she was invited as a witness, in actual fact she is a suspect.  

The Civilitas Foundation’s Founder and Chairman, Prosperous Armenia Party (PAP) MP, and Armenia’s former FM Vartan Oskanian likewise had refused to testify for the same reason. 

The Foundation is accused of money laundering and tax evasion.

As Armenian News-NEWS.am informed earlier, the NSS Department of Investigation had launched a criminal case on May 25, in which Oskanian’s name is mentioned. 

And the criminal case was opened one day after when PAP Chairman Gagik Tsarukyan had announced about the PAP’s refusal to form a coalition government with the ruling Republican Party.

Vartan Oskanian stated that this is political persecution.