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On June 16, the RA National Assembly began the work of the regular sitting forming the agenda of the sittings.

The parliament refused including the legislative initiatives on Making Addenda to the RA Tax Code authored by the RA NA Prosperous Armenia Faction on Making Amendments and Addenda to the RA Tax Code in the agenda of the fourth session of the seventh convocation of the National Assembly. Let us note that the RA NA Standing Committee on Economic Affairs did not endorse these draft laws.

Afterwards the parliament debated the RA Prosecutor General’s petition on giving consent to institute criminal persecution against the NA deputy Gagik Tsarukyan.

The RA Prosecutor General Artur Davtyan noted that on cases of speculating the office authorities, illegally taking part in the entrepreneurship activity, giving bribe to the official person in especially big amounts, assisting to give bribe. Data were obtained by the pre-examination of the criminal case instituted in the Investigative Department of the RA National Assembly Security Service that the Chairman of the RA Urban Development Committee, being as an official person using his official position against the interests of the service, in accordance with the agreements reached with the persons doing construction works and representatives of the constructing companies for receiving bribe in big amounts. In 2019, he did actions in their favour or promoted making undesirable decisions.

Documents were found and confiscated on the pre-electoral campaign made by the Prosperous Armenia party during the NA elections in 2017, their expenditures, including the delivery of electoral bribery to the voters.

The Prosecutor General presented in detail in what electoral district, who and in what amount delivered electoral bribery to numerous voters. It has been noted that a number of evidence are available in the case, and people are also arrested.

According to the petition, factual data were obtained that the Prosperous Armenia Party led by Gagik Tsarukyan also provided votes before that period through delivering bribes, as well as the voters’ mass re-registration were organized in the elections of Yerevan Elders’ elections.

According to Artur Davtyan, the combination of the evidence obtained by the criminal case gives sufficient basis to include the deputy of the RA National Assembly Gagik Tsarukyan as a defendant on the abovementioned case and accusing him on giving bribe to the voters for voting in favour of Tsarukyan parties alliance and nominated candidate by it at 2 April 2017 RA NA elections, and that action is designed by Part 2 of 38-154.2 Article of the RA Criminal Code.

Summing up his speech the RA Prosecutor General presented a petition to the parliament to give consent on instituting criminal persecution against the RA NA deputy Gagik Tsarukyan for including the latter as a defendant and accusing him.

The Prosecutor General Answered to the MPs’ questions and gave clarifications.

Asking questions a group of deputies of the RA NA Prosperous Armenia and Bright Armenia Factions the petition on instituting criminal persecution against Gagik Tsarukyan considered as a political pressure. The MPs were interested in the fact why the petition was submitted now, if the criminal case was instituted several months ago, if only this party delivered electoral bribery and how it had happened that the information being part of the pre-examination appeared in the social networks or media, etc. According to the assessments of some members of the Prosperous Armenia Faction, the Prosecutor General’s presented petition is illegal and without any ground.

In his speech the Head of the NA Prosperous Armenia Faction Gagik Tsarukyan addressed the people and expressed conviction that this process began on June 5, when the sitting of their party political Council sitting was organized and the situation in all spheres was presented. As the Head of the Faction has presented, there is an extreme situation in all spheres, economic crisis, the actions being implemented against the pandemic are failed, and there is no political stability. Gagik Tsarukyan has underlined that a fake case is instituted against him. The Head of the Faction assured that he would go until the end to fully present the truth.

In their speeches the deputies of the RA NA Prosperous Armenia Faction gave considered impermissible such actions against Gagik Tsarukyan, expressing conviction that political persecution is carried out against the Head of the opposition leader. The deputies underlined that they would not succeed to make them silent, and they would continue their fight. An opinion was voiced that this is only an unsuccessful attempt to deviate the attention of the public from the existing situation, and the Prosecutor General’s proofs have no authenticity and the facts have nothing to do with the reality.

On behalf of the RA NA Bright Armenia Faction the Head of the Faction Edmon Marukyan delivered a speech. According to him, the announcement of their Faction records that there is political control towards the case. Edmon Marukyan was interested how the materials being a pre-examination secret appeared under the disposal of the representatives of the ruling political force. It has been noted that the Faction follows all the actions, and they won’t let that Armenia becomes a regressing country, which according to him, is recorded every day. As Edmon Marukyan has informed the Faction will not take part in the voting.

Naira Zohrabyan presented the viewpoint of the RA NA Prosperous Armenia Faction. According to her, the Prosecutor has not presented any basis why Gagik Tsarukyan shall be presented a charge. As Naira Zohrabyan has said, Artur Davtyan’s arguments are just nothing.  The MP characterized the actions carried out towards Gagik Tsarukyan as settling political score. Naira Zohrabyan has noted that the Prosecutor fulfills a political order against Gagik Tsarukyan, and the Faction will start a process of expressing distrust towards Artur Davtyan. The Prosperous Armenia Faction will take part in voting.

The NA Deputy Speaker Alen Simonyan delivered a speech on behalf of the RA NA My Step Faction. He presented clarifications on the opposition MPs’ some interpellations. Alen Simonyan has noted that today there is an opportunity to understand and examine if a representative of any political force in the hall has any connection with the election bribery happened during the elections. The NA Deputy Speaker informed that the deputies of the Faction would vote, stemming from their conscience and convictions.

The RA NA Speaker Ararat Mirzoyan delivered a speech. He has noted that in the moral aspect, as well as cornerstone for the consequences and a very grave crime is related to a man, who is a leader of a party and parliamentary faction. According to the Head of the parliament, it is very easy to fall into a trap and politicize the legal process. Thus, Ararat Mirzoyan proposes to separate the political and legal contexts of the issue. The NA Speaker has noted that the deputies of My Step Faction and him have their picture and evaluation on Gagik Tsarukyan as a political figure and the NA Prosperous Armenia political unity. After presenting them in this phase at least they should be deprived of any comment and expression of position at any moment as a political direction and a violation to the legal system or presumption of innocence being sacredly kept. According to the Head of the parliament, everybody is equal before the law irrespective of the fact they lead a party or a faction, they have factories or not, bring investments or not. Ararat Mirzoyan underlined that making decision on the item should be left to the courts.

In his final speech the RA Prosecutor General has noted that he realizes his responsibility and the importance of the initiated process. He has underlined that he has acted and he will act according to the demand of law. According to Artur Davtyan, the presented petition is a legal document. Touching upon the flow of the pre-examination materials voiced in the MPs’ speeches, the Prosecutor has reaffirmed that on any illegal flow a criminal procedure will be carried out, and everybody will be aware of that. The speaker urged the MPs to give consent to the presented petition which would give an opportunity to Gagik Tsarukyan to carry out objective and comprehensive pre-examination, giving Gagik Tsarukyan relevant judicial status and involving him in the criminal-procedure process which, according to Artur Davtyan, would be public at maximum.

The Chair of the RA NA Accounting Committee Vahagn Hovakimyan informed that related to the petition a secret ballot was held, 87 deputies out of 132 took part in it, who voted for it. There was no ballot-paper invalid, as well as nobody against it. Thus, all participated deputies voted for the petition presented by the RA Prosecutor General on giving consent to institute criminal prosecution against the deputy of the National Assembly Gagik Tsarukyan. Let us note that the RA NA opposition Prosperous Armenia and Bright Armenia Factions did not take part in the voting.

Afterwards the parliament debated the petition on giving consent to deprive Gagik Tsarukyan from liberty related to this item.

Not giving judicial details of the criminal case, the RA Prosecutor General Artur Davtyan, being Head of Tsarukyan parties alliance and Chairman of the Prosperous Armenia party included in it, created and led an organized group, employees and other persons of the central and territorial bodies  of Tsarukyan parties alliance and the Prosperous Armenia Party were included  during the period preceding the elections to give bribery to the voters for voting in favout of the candidates included the parties’ alliance and in the electoral lists in 2 April 2017 of the National Assembly parliamentary elections.

Taking into consideration the complexity of the criminal case, as well as the fact that the complete examination can be impeded and being led by Article 96 of the RA Constitution, Article 108 of the Constitutional Law the Rules of Procedure, as well as the Paragraph 11 of Part 2 of Article 53 of the RA Criminal Procedure Code, the RA Prosecutor General gave petition to the parliament on of depriving liberty Gagik Tsaukyan and to use the detention as precautionary measure against it.

The RA NA Speaker Ararat Mirzoyan noted that during this period, he contacted with the leadership of the National Security Service and Gagik Tsarukyan was informed about his right of speech. According to transferred information, Gagik Tsarukyan refused from the speech.

In his final speech the RA Prosecutor General Artur Davtyan has assured that the necessity of the use of this means of judicial compulsion is conditioned by the implementation of unimpeded, unbiased and comprehensive pre-examination of exclusively criminal case. He has added that the pre-examination of the criminal case will be carried out in the whole volume, will ensure publicity, everybody will be informed about the procedure and results of the case.

After the secret ballot the Chair of the NA Accounting Committee Vahagn Hovakimyan informed that 87 deputies voted for the petition, and there was no deputy voting against it. Let us also add that the NA Prosperous Armenia and Bright Armenia Factions again did not take part in voting.

Let us also note that, in accordance with the NA Rules of Procedure law. The deputies made announcements.