Vanechyan Gave a Different Name Regarding His Wiretapping, Not Found in the Criminal Case: Prosecutor to Kocharian

Why did former head of the NSS Arthur Vanechyan discuss the case of the CSTO, Khachaturov, and Robert Kocharian over the phone? Such a question was raised by the chairman of the National Assembly's Standing Committee on Defense and Security, Andranik Kocharian, during a discussion of the Prosecutor's Office's 2023 activity report in the Standing Committee on Legal Affairs.

According to him, there has been much talk about the 'fifth column' and its actions in our country. In this context, he is still unclear about what has come to light regarding Arthur Vanechyan's wiretapping of phone conversations with the head of the Special Investigative Service, Sasun Khachatryan, and Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan.

“The disclosure of these details is essential for our national security. Leaving them undisclosed poses a threat to our country. I recall a case when Arthur Vanechyan was still participating in the sessions of the NA council, before he resigned his mandate. After one such session, he had a private conversation with me, asking why I always state publicly that the wiretapping of the former director of the NSS has not been revealed. He told me that the case is revealed and provided a name. I urged reporters to ask Vanechyan about that name, yet he did not respond to that question. Vanechyan told me that the Armenian authorities need to have the political will to announce that this case has indeed been revealed,” Kocharian recounted.

In response, the Prosecutor General of Armenia, Anna Vardapetyan, stated that there are confidentiality restrictions related to this case, which is why many details have not been made public. “Mr. Kocharian, it seems that Arthur Vanechyan gave you a different name than what is in the criminal case,” the Prosecutor General remarked.

She noted that the Prosecutor's Office needs additional verification regarding this matter and requested Kocharian to share any information he has privately with them.

Andranik Kocharian added that he is not sure Vanechyan was completely sincere with him when mentioning that name, as his sole objective may have been to prevent him from stating 'wiretapped NSS director' in his public remarks.

It is noteworthy that on September 11, 2018, a recording of the controversial phone conversation between Vanechyan and Khachatryan surfaced online. During their eight-minute conversation, they discussed the imprisonment of former President Robert Kocharian, as well as the criminal cases against CSTO Secretary General Yuri Khachaturov and former Minister of Defense Mikael Harutyunyan. Vanechyan informed the head of the Special Investigative Service about a conversation with a judge that resulted in an instruction to 'imprison' Kocharian by all means. They then turned their attention to Khachaturov. The head of the NSS insisted that no harm should come to the CSTO Secretary General as it could jeopardize relations with Russia.