Vahe Aghabegians, a founding member of the Board of the Civilitas Foundation, arrived in Armenia on April 6 and two days later was called for questioning by Armenia's National Security Service within the framework of the ongoing investigation relating to the Civilitas Foundation. Aghabegians has not been a member of the board since February 2012 and has not lived in Armenia since 2009.
Yesterday, the Deputy Director of the National Security Service Investigative Unit, Mikayel Hambartsumyan, was interviewed on State Television, on the criminal case involving the Civilitas Foundation and its founder, Vartan Oskanian.
Tigran Atanesyan, lawyer for embattled Civilitas Founder and former Armenian Foreign Minister Vardan Oskanian, told reporters today that he had no illusions that the Armenian courts would give his client a fair shake.
The Civilitas Foundation reports that some current and past members of its board have been requested to report to the National Security Service for questioning in the money laundering criminal investigation launched against Vardan Oskanian.
I have been asked for the U.S. views on yesterday’s announcement that Mr. Oskanian has been formally charged. This development, in my view, is bad for justice and democracy in Armenia.
Our work, as in the past and now, is maximally transparent and public, and it would be far better if law enforcement and security agencies were to occupy themselves with the real issues regarding state security.
We have been following the legal case against former Foreign Minister Oskanian carefully and are very concerned by recent developments.
By a vote of 64 to 6, Armenian legislators have stripped MP Vardan Oskanian of his parliamentary immunity, thus allowing him to be charged with money laundering.
Lawyers for Vardan Oskanian, the former Armenian foreign minister facing embezzlement charges, stated today at a press conference that the case against their client lacked anything resembling professional jurisprudence.
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