The Special Investigation Service Addresses Narek Samsonyan's Statements

The Special Investigation Service of Armenia has commented on the statements made by Narek Samsonyan, president of the NGO "Civil Consciousness." The information was provided by the Special Investigation Service of Armenia.

"In order to keep the public informed and to prevent the unfounded speculation by Narek Samsonyan related to the criminal case initiated by the Special Investigation Service, and emphasizing the citizens' right to receive impartial and complete information, it is essential to state the following:

Narek Samsonyan was summoned today to the Special Investigation Service of Armenia as a witness for questioning based on his Facebook post regarding alleged pressure exerted on an entrepreneur by the Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan through the State Revenue Committee, as part of a criminal case initiated under Article 308, Part 1 of the Criminal Code of Armenia. The questioning was conducted in strict adherence to the established procedures of the Criminal Procedure Code of Armenia.

During the questioning, Mr. Samsonyan was offered the opportunity to provide complete information regarding the circumstances mentioned in his post, including revealing the source of the information, specifying the details of the restaurant, and sharing other particulars.

Mr. Samsonyan, unjustifiably claiming that it is a matter of disclosure for law enforcement bodies, refused to adequately respond to the questions, and this was noted in the questioning record.

Afterward, Samsonyan made political statements that had no relevance to the criminal case. The investigator, having no procedural obligation to include political statements in the record, did not incorporate them, which led Narek Samsonyan to turn them into a subject of unfounded speculations, distorting the reality.

By making political statements that evidently do not respond to the investigator's inquiries and not fulfilling his witness obligations to respond to the questions directed at him, Mr. Samsonyan merely evaded providing answers to the relevant inquiries.

Notice: A suspect or accused party is considered innocent until proven guilty in accordance with the procedures defined by the Criminal Procedure Code of Armenia, by a legally binding court decision,” the statement reads.