RA PROSECUTOR-GENERAL’S OFFICE CONFIRMS THE VISIT OF THE TWO INVESTIGATION GROUP REPRESENTATIVES TO MOSCOW ON ALEXANDER ARZUMANYAN’S CASE.
arminfo
2007-07-17 23:13:00
In RA Prosecutor-General’s Office they confirmed the visit of the
two investigation group representatives to Moscow on the case of
ex-Foreign Minister of Armenia Alexander Arzumanyan.
To recall, according to the investigation data, in April 2007
ex-Foreign Minister of Armenia and ex-Deputy Minister of Defense Vahan
Shirkhanyan in the name of 9 different people received $178 200 by
preliminary agreement with businessman Levon Markos, who was on the
wanted list. The money was transferred through "Converse-Bank" and
the Russian Bank of commercial funding. Moreover, the money transfer
was accompanied with serious violations.
A. Arzumanyan is accused of money laundering.
As RA Prosecutor General’s press-secretary Sona Truzyan informed
ArmInfo correspondent, RA Prosecutor General’s Office addressed RF
Prosecutor General’s Office on 24 May, 2007 with a petition to take
investigation actions. The petition was satisfied and two investigation
group representatives were delegated to Moscow in order to take part in
those actions. "Taking into consideration public interest towards this
case and their right to receive accurate and truthful information, as
well as in view of the fact that recently much untruthful information
appeared in press, I inform that as a result of investigation actions
taken jointly with the Russian colleagues 8 citizens out of 9, in
the name of whom the amount of $178 200 was transferred, were found
and questioned",-S. Truzyan noted.
According to her, these people testified that they have no relation
to the mentioned money transfers, they didn’t send money to Yerevan
and are not acquainted with the recipients. Alexander Agazaryan
(Alexander Arzumanyan’s friend) was also questioned in Moscow. Notably,
A. Arzumanyan’s attorney also applied for questioning him. During
the questioning A. Agazarian claimed that he had transferred the
money and had done it on A. Arzumanyan’s request in the name of 9
different people, the list of which A. Arzumanyan had given him. At
the same time, Agazarian refuted Vahan Shirkhanyan’s testimony that
the money was meant for organizing his daughter’s wedding.
According to A. Agazaryan, he is not acquainted with V. Shirkhanyan
and didn’t transfer any money to him. Levon Ordyan, a relative of V.
Shirkhanyan’s son -in- law-Artak Chobanyan also reputed
V. Shirkhanyan’s version. L. Ordyan claimed that A. Chobanyan didn’t
request him to send money. At the same time, S. Truzyan noted that the
investigation has no written proofs on A. Agazaryan’s words, that the
money was transferred by him. There is only A. Agazarian’s statement.