Investigation Materials Prepared by NSS Also Involve Naira Zohrabyan

The National Security Service's investigative department has obtained factual data indicating that public officials, through an organized criminal mechanism, persuaded around 100,000 to 120,000 citizens of the Republic of Armenia, who were registered outside the capital or in other communities, to temporarily or formally relocate to specific addresses in Yerevan during the preparatory phase and aftermath of the municipal elections held on May 14, 2017. This was done through illegal means, including pressure and material incentives, leading to the use of documents containing obviously false information. This allowed these individuals to be included in the electoral rolls of local self-government bodies, thereby securing the necessary number of votes in favor of the municipal elections in Yerevan. Immediately after the elections, these individuals were then moved back to their actual places of registration outside of Yerevan. This was reported by the press center of the NSS.

In addition to the above, factual data have also been gathered during the preparation of these materials indicating that members of the Prosperous Armenia Party, established on April 30, 2004, provided bribes—cash, property, or other benefits—to voters, either personally or through intermediaries, to ensure votes in favor of their party, candidates, or referendum initiatives during various elections held in Armenia over the years. These illegal actions resulted in desired outcomes for different elections or referenda. A criminal case has been initiated under Part 2 of Article 308, Part 2, Points 2, 4, and 5 of Article 149, and Part 2 of Article 154.2 of the RA Criminal Code, with extensive investigative and prosecutorial actions and operational-intelligence measures being undertaken.

During the pre-trial investigation, undeniable factual data were obtained regarding the RA National Assembly member and Chair of the Standing Committee on Human Rights Protection and Public Affairs, Naira Zohrabyan. In conversations with her associates following the elections that took place in Armenia after the May 2018 revolution, she repeatedly made offensive remarks towards thousands of citizens expressing their will freely, referring to them as sheep and cult members. Moreover, operational-intelligence measures revealed that Zohrabyan also admitted in discussions with her associates that the Prosperous Armenia Party had been able to secure the necessary number of votes in past elections solely through the distribution of bribes to citizens, stating literally: ‘… it turned out that the PAP has no voice in Armenia without vote buying… should we face the truth or not, that’s the reality...’ These conversations reveal that Zohrabyan and her associates acknowledge that, following the revolution, due to the inapplicability of vote-buying mechanisms, their party was no longer able to secure the necessary number of votes.