Armenian National Assembly to consider lifting parliamentary immunity of Gagik Tsarukyan to allow his prosecution
YEREVAN, June 15. /ARKA/. Armenia's National Assembly will consider an application of the Prosecutor General asking for its consent to institute criminal prosecution against MP Gagik Tsarukyan and incarcerate him.
National Assembly chairman Ararat Mirzoyan told reporters that the application is included in the agenda of the parliament's session, scheduled for June 16.
The Prosecutor General’s Office presented the details of the criminal case initiated and investigated by the Investigation Department of the National Security Service on February 1, 2020, which involves Gagik Tsarukyan. (The case is about vote buying during the campaign for parliamentary elections on April 2, 2017).
It said the preliminary investigation has collected sufficient evidence that Tsarukyan, in order to buy votes for his party, had created and led an organized group, which included employees of the central and territorial bodies of the Prosperous Armenia party.
To ensure the coordinated and effective functioning of the organized group, a financial management and control system was created. Reports indicating the amount of money spent on vote buying were made with passport data of voters who received bribes against the promise to vote for Tsarukyan's party.
The reports indicated the number of family members who were given 10,000 drams each (about $ 20). Thus, in the period preceding the April 2, 2017 election, Tsarukyan and members of the organized group distributed almost 172 million drams ($355,200) in exchange for 17,194 votes in Gegharkunik region.
The Prosecutor General’s Office noted that the totality of the evidence obtained in the criminal case provides sufficient grounds for involving MP Gagik Tsarukyan in this case as an accused and charge him with distribution of election bribes (Article 38-154.2 of the Criminal Code) .
Gagik Tsarukyan, the leader of the opposition Prosperous Armenia Party (BHK), was questioned by the National Security Service (NSS) for about nine hours on June 14 following a raid and search of his home by NSS officers.
Tsarukyan denied the accusations as fabricated politically motivated, saying the authorities went after him following his call for the government of Priem Minister Nikol Pashinyan to resign. -0-
