YEREVAN. – Zhoghovurd newspaper of Armenia writes: According to the reliable information of Zhoghovurd daily, the National Security Service [(NSS)] has dropped the criminal case initiated against the Vicar General  of the Araratian Pontifical Diocese, His Eminence Archbishop Navasard Kchoyan.

Let us remind that on April 15, 2020, the [NSS] issued a statement that charges have been filed against a vicar general  of one of the dioceses of the Armenian Apostolic Church in the framework of one of the criminal cases.

The criminal case, in the framework of which Archbishop Kchoyan has been charged, has a history of about 8 years. It is about one of the well-known scandalous cases exposed years ago: the Cyprus offshore case, in the framework of which the name of former Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan was also being mentioned.

Businessman Paylak Hayrapetyan was accusing them of depriving him of his property. Businessman Ashot Sukiasyan was included in this case as a defendant. During one of the court hearings he had noted that Navasard Kchoyan is his godfather.

Zhoghovurd daily learned that the Vicar General  of the Araratian Pontifical Diocese of the Armenian Apostolic Church, Archbishop Navasard Kchoyan, had been summoned to the NSS several times in connection with the offshore scandal case and pleaded not guilty to the charge brought [against him]—calling it baseless and fabricated.

And so, two years later, the case was dropped.