Andranik Tevanyan, a parliamentary candidate on the Prosperous Armenia party’s election list, is at the building of Armenia’s Central Election Commission. The CEC is considering stripping him of immunity and authorizing criminal prosecution against him, Sputnik Armenia reported.
Early in the morning, officers of Armenia’s National Security Service searched the office of the Mother Armenia party and later Tevanyan’s apartment. Footage showed officers carrying out a computer after a search that lasted about four hours.
“There were such absurd formulations in the search warrant decisions that it was unclear what exactly they had come to search for both in our party office and in my apartment, and now also in my garage. I do not have the right to disclose what they took because I signed a document stating that I cannot discuss it within the framework of the investigation. I will only say that they were things long forgotten by us,” Tevanyan said.
He added that during the searches at the party office, property belonging to the 7or.am outlet was also seized, disrupting the work of the news website during the election campaign.
Commenting on the request to strip him of immunity, Tevanyan said: “Let them do whatever nonsense they want.”
Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan announced on May 20 that Armenia’s National Security Service would send materials concerning Tevanyan to the Investigative Committee with the aim of launching a criminal case on charges of treason. On May 21, the Investigative Committee stated that criminal proceedings had been initiated against Andranik Tevanyan on charges of treason and espionage.
Andranik Tevanyan is second on Prosperous Armenia’s election list.
