Armenian PM comments on tapped phone call: We won’t be blackmailed - Mediamax.am

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Armenian PM comments on tapped phone call: We won’t be blackmailed


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Yerevan/Mediamax/. Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has touched on the recording of the wiretapped conversation between Director of Armenian National Security Service Artur Vanetsyan and Head of Special Investigation Service Sasun Khachatryan in his Facebook live today. The released recording touched on interrogation and arrest of former Armenian President Robert Kocharyan, CSTO Secretary General Yuri Khachaturov and former Armenian Defense Minister Mikael Harutyunyan in connection with the 1 March 2008 case.

“Naturally, I am familiar with context of the conversation, but I will not speak about the details yet. What has happened is wiretapping of the head of National Security Service or Special Investigation Service. Who did it? Why and for what reason did they do it? Were they authorized to wiretap? What is the political goal of this? I stated at the rally back on August 17 that in my opinion, the March 1 case is mostly solved and all murderers must come before the court,” said the Prime Minister.

 

According to Pashinyan, “the fight against corruption in Armenia is now proceeding in a situation where the entire judiciary was appointed by the corrupt regime to serve its needs”.

 

“I said I refused to give orders to the judiciary, but that does not mean we do not get calls from different people from the system asking us what to do and how to work,” he noted.

 

The Armenian Prime Minister has added that certain people are trying to halt the democratic processes in Armenia.

 

“I can give you their names: Robert Kocharyan, Serzh Sargsyan, Hovik Abrahamyan, Manvel Grigoryan, Taron Margaryan, Gagik Khachatryan. These former high-ranking and junior officials can see it is time to return what they stole from the country and they want to halt that process by wiretapping, by other means… They are trying to halt the fight against corruption and avoid being brought to justice,” said Pashinyan.

 

He has underlined that the new government is accountable to the people but will not be blackmailed. The March 1 case must be solved, said Pashinyan, and the murderers must come before the court.

 

Touching on his name being mentioned in the recording, Nikol Pashinyan commented: “I promised I would not put political obstacles to any investigation. I repeat, the investigative bodies must work independently, without thinking if it is allowed to arrest this or that powerful person. In any case, if the investigative bodies find that someone has to be arrested, they must go and make the arrest.” 

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