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Money Laundering Case Is Like Storm In A Teacup, Says Oskanyan

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  • Money Laundering Case Is Like Storm In A Teacup, Says Oskanyan

    MONEY LAUNDERING CASE IS LIKE STORM IN A TEACUP, SAYS OSKANYAN

    tert.am
    01.10.12

    A former foreign minister, now a lawmaker of the Prosperous Armenia
    party (PAP), Vartan Oskanyan, says the money laundering proceeding
    against him is like a storm in a teacup.

    Addressing the parliament on Wednesday, the politician characterized
    the case as a revengeful act against the PAP ahead of the presidential
    election.

    According to him, Armenia does not have enough financial and
    geopolitical resources for that. "[That's motivated] by the task of
    banishing a political contender. They are preparing for a presidential
    election, speaking in a hostage's language and what's even more,
    from the position of someone with a political majority," he said.

    To prove that he isn't the kind of person who could have appropriated
    money, Oskanyan spoke of his family, saying that his ancestors dealt
    with diamond cutting and jewelry for four generations consecutively.

    He said his family lived on personal savings in Armenia in the first
    years of independence.

    "I didn't own a business; I am fed up with that," he said, adding
    that he doesn't see anything bad about the international donors'
    trust, that enable him to bring money to Armenia.

    Oskanyan noted that the Huntsman family, which supports his foundation,
    Civilitas, had made two kinds of donations, the first being a direct
    assistance to the foundation, and the second transferred through his
    personal account.

    "The question is if they really wanted the entire [sum] to go to
    Civilitas, it could have directly gone there," he said, noting that
    the Huntsmans' September 12 letter to the inquest body reaffirmed
    his right to use the money at his own discretion.

    Oskanyan quit the Civilitas Foundation's board in May to join the
    Prosperous Armenia party and run for parliament. On May 25, the
    National Security Council launched a money laundering proceeding
    against Civilatas, accusing the foundation of a failure to report
    a $1.5 million donation to the tax authorities. Oskanyan's lawyer
    later asked a Yerevan district the court to halt the proceeding but
    his motion was rejected.



    From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
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