Narek Nalbandyan Interrogated by NSS

The newspaper "Jhoghovurd" reports that there are suspicions within the law enforcement system regarding the investigation into the sale of former Prime Minister Hovik Abrahamyan's villa, suggesting that the NSS (National Security Service) is stalled and lacks the interest to advance the case and uncover the mystery surrounding the villa's sale.

Inquiries were made to NSS Director Armen Abazyan regarding whether Narek Nalbandyan, the buyer of the villa, had been summoned and interrogated as part of the initiated criminal case. Additional questions included what revelations had emerged from the villa sale investigation, as well as what illegal activities the NSS had uncovered during this time and the current status of the criminal case. In response to our written inquiries, Lt. Col. L. Tatoyan, a senior investigator of the NSS investigative department, stated: "I inform you that Narek Nalbandyan was summoned to the NSS investigative department and interrogated regarding the criminal case mentioned in your inquiry. The criminal case is currently in the preliminary investigation phase, and the other requested information is considered a pre-investigation secret and is not subject to publication."

This indicates that the investigative body has not responded to our other inquiries, citing pre-investigation secrecy. If the NSS had uncovered anything in the villa sale investigation over the past two months, they would have reported it, which raises concerns that the fears of law enforcement officials are justified—that the investigation into the sale of the former prime minister’s villa is being covered up by the investigative body.

For more details, refer to today’s edition of the newspaper.