Armenian Parliament vice chair reacts to US ambassador’s statement

In an interview with RFE/RL Armenian service, Armenia’s ruling Republican Party (RPA) Spokesman and National Assembly (NA) Deputy Speaker Eduard Sharmazanov reacted to US Ambassador to Armenia John Heffern’s statement issued Wednesday with respect to Vartan Oskanian’s case, and he urged the diplomat to refrain from politicizing the legal matters in the country.

He specifically noted: “I do not share the view in the Honorable Ambassador’s statement that this is a selective application the law. This is a legal matter and it is impermissible to politicize this matter.”

Reflecting on the Ambassador’s assertion that “the timing of these events in relation to the election schedule is troubling,” Sharmazanov said it is far from reality and impermissible to link any legal process in Armenia with elections. “I believe the ambassadors themselves likewise must refrain from politicizing the legal matters in Armenia and linking them to elections. The Armenian authorities’ battle is not against individuals, but against bad phenomena,” the RPA Spokesperson stated.

Eduard Sharmazanov added that politicizing the issue is unjustified and linking Oskanian’s case to the forthcoming presidential elections is far from reality. Also, the NA Deputy Speaker urged everyone not to make political assessments on legal processes.

As Armenian News-NEWS.am informed earlier, US Ambassador to Armenia John Heffern had issued a statement on the case of Vartan Oskanian. “I have been asked for the US 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. As I have said previously, the case appears to represent the selective application of Armenian law. Moreover, the timing of these events in relation to the election schedule is troubling. We urge the Government of Armenia to live up to its commitments to the systematic, fair and transparent implementation of the rule of law,” he said in a statement.

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.