I Can Only Be Accused of Helping Pashinyan Come to Power - Babloyan

On October 23, 2019, during a conversation with representatives of various media outlets, Ara Babloyan stated: "...I can only be accused of having helped Nikol Pashinyan come to power: there is a clear accusation on that issue. If they decide to investigate this, I will confirm it." The Special Investigative Service (SIS) has announced that considering the numerous inquiries from the media to the prosecuting body regarding the initiation of an investigation based on this statement, and the public’s interest in this issue, they find it necessary to inform that Ara Babloyan answered literally to the investigator's question regarding this statement as follows:

“To be honest, I meant that the current Prime Minister of Armenia, Nikol Pashinyan, was also appointed to the position of Prime Minister from the position of a member of the National Assembly and did not resign from his parliamentary mandate. If we suppose that I had committed a violation in the case of Hrayr Tovmasyan in that he did not resign from his parliamentary mandate, yet I recorded the circumstance of his parliamentary powers being prematurely terminated, then I would have allegedly committed the same violation in Nikol Pashinyan's case as well. However, after a legal consultation with my lawyer, I realized that under such circumstances, after being appointed to a position in a state body, the parliamentary powers, according to Article 95 of the Constitution's 2015 amendments, automatically cease by the force of law. I have nothing else to add regarding the interview I provided.”