Prosecutor's Office Receives Report on Armen Sarkissian's Actions

The Prosecutor General's Office of Armenia has received a report regarding the citizenship of President Armen Sarkissian submitted by 53 lawyers. This information was provided to Factinfo by the prosecutor's office.

It is noteworthy that the 53 lawyers submitted a report requesting the initiation of a criminal case.

According to the report, Armen Sarkissian held British citizenship for at least a decade between 2003 and 2012, and was elected President of Armenia on March 2, 2018, while not meeting the requirement of being a citizen of Armenia for the last six years.

Sarkissian could have only been elected President of Armenia if his British citizenship had been terminated prior to March 1, 2012 (March 1, 2018 - 6 years).

The head of the President's Office referred to a statement provided by Armenian legislation on citizenship, which was presented in the presidential election process to the National Assembly of Armenia.

Notably, on March 25, 2021, A. Mkrtchyan, the head of the Police Passport and Visa Department, wrote that there was no information about President Armen Sarkissian holding citizenship of another country in the state population register of the Police Passport and Visa Department, including as of March 2, 2018.

The corresponding data in the state population register of the Police Passport and Visa Department is processed based on the information provided by the citizen or received from authorized bodies of Armenia. Foreign citizenship is considered processable information and registered in the register only if the individual presents documentation certifying citizenship of another state.

The certificate stating that A. Sarkissian was only a citizen of the Republic of Armenia for the last six years was provided based on the information available in the state population register of the Police Passport and Visa Department and Sarkissian's statement in his application declaring that he was not a citizen of another country. In this context, it should also be noted that there are no other provisions established by legal acts to verify only being a citizen of the Republic of Armenia,” wrote Ara Zohrebian.