Mr. Prime Minister Had a Shortcoming: Agazaryan

This is political pressure that has followed recent events. This was stated by former ruling party member and now independent MP Hovik Agazaryan during a statement in the National Assembly regarding the Prosecutor General's motion to initiate criminal proceedings against him.

Prosecutor General Anna Vardanyan came to the National Assembly today to submit the motion for criminal prosecution against Hovik Agazaryan.

The well-known events mentioned by Agazaryan refer to the incidents of December 2, 2024, when he rejected Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan's request to resign from his mandate. Before that, it had been revealed that Agazaryan was summoned for questioning in another case, and the investigator seized Agazaryan's phone. The deputy reported on December 4 that numerous materials and messages from his phone, which were in the investigator's possession, had reached Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, despite law enforcement stating that they would only review materials related to the case. On the same day, Pashinyan announced that there were such details in the deputy's mobile phone that posed threats to national security, including counterintelligence issues.

Agazaryan also noted that he has repeatedly expressed his opposition to the policies pursued by Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan. He specifically recalled that he was opposed to the process of joining the EU, and that everyone in the ruling party and government was also against it; however, Pashinyan bypassed the team, and the National Assembly adopted it today.

“The Prime Minister seems to think that my modest character is obstructing the adoption of state important issues, that I can create certain inconveniences, which led him to choose the path of isolating me by removing me from politics. If this is the cost for everything related to the peace agreement to be beneficial for our state, then it is nothing; I will pay that price,” Agazaryan announced.

He also commented on the prosecutor's motion, stating that it is based on two episodes, which he conditionally referred to as the “sheep export case” and the “alleged bribery case of $23,000.”

Agazaryan recounted that in connection with the first case, he had been in Sevan. “I was resting at Lake Sevan on August 8, 2023. I do not go to the Black Sea or Europe; I rest in Sevan every year with great pleasure. I received a call from my acquaintance Slavik Poghosyan, and he said he had something to discuss. He came, and I was waiting for him by the roadside. Slavik arrived, got out of the car, and we talked right there. He said that a friend had problems exporting sheep, that he was asking if it was possible for them to undergo veterinary checks at the place of sheep placement rather than bringing them to Yerevan and taking them in,” Agazaryan narrated.

The deputy remembers being inebriated at that moment and responding that he would clarify the issue the next day. After some clarifications, he rejected Slavik's request. Agazaryan assures that he was only talking to Slavik, and a person named Ashotik Kamavosyan, mentioned in the criminal proceedings, was not present during the conversation. Agazaryan has now encountered this person during confrontations and has never seen him before.

“Please read your testimonies,” said the Prosecutor General to Hovik Agazaryan.

Regarding the second case mentioned in the prosecutor's motion, Agazaryan noted that the person who testified against him was the godfather at Aram Mkrtchyan's wedding, and he is currently involved in court processes for fraud, as a case is being investigated against him for extorting money from people.

“In the context of this case, I do not know how credible my statement will be; however, when we are fighting against criminal subculture, just with my case, we have caused huge damage to the fight against it. The fact is that Aram was able to leave the country quietly when he is under a judicial process for fraud in Armenia. It turns out that next time, people who fall victim to his fraud will not turn to the justice system, but will appeal to their local authorities to recover their money,” Agazaryan declared.