"Zhoghovurd" daily writes:
"The General Prosecutor of the Republic of Armenia Anna Vardapetyan, to whom (including among our journalists) the members of the Communist Party express rather sharp criticism, nevertheless continues to support the Speaker of the National Assembly Alen Simonyan.
How, let's argue. On January 8 of this year, "Zhoghovurd" daily newspaper sent a request to the Prosecutor General of the Republic of Armenia, reporting that the public speeches/statements of CP deputy Hayk Sargsyan, in which he raises allegations of NA Speaker Alen Simonyan's possible connection with bookmaking organizations, dependence/profits, were circulated in the public domain.
We asked the Prosecutor General of the Republic of Armenia whether these accusations were registered in the prosecutor's office based on media publications regarding the possible connection of the Speaker of the National Assembly Alen Simonyan with the bookmaking industry. If yes: • date of registration, • the nature of the application/communication, • What course of action was taken (without the confidential data of the preliminary investigation)?
Has the RA Prosecutor's Office initiated verification actions/preparatory study or applied to the competent authorities to get clarifications regarding the factual basis of Hayk Sargsyan's statements? If so, to which bodies and when?
Have any criminal proceedings been initiated (or materials sent to an investigative/anti-corruption body) based on the said statements or the circumstances indicated in them? If yes, please indicate: • the date of the start of the proceedings, • the general nature of the legal qualification (eg, possible corruption/conflict of interest/abuse of official authority, etc. without details); • which body carries out the examination. If the RA Prosecutor's Office has not initiated any process, please inform: • on what legal/factual grounds it was assessed that the public statements do not meet the minimum threshold for legal proceedings (report of crime, sufficient data, etc.).
Has the RA Prosecutor's Office applied to the Commission for the Prevention of Corruption or other authorized bodies in order to receive/exchange information on the topic of conflict of interest/property declaration or possible influence?
If so, when and in what framework?
