We Don't Hold a Gun to Anyone's Head to Say ‘Come to the NSS’: Pashinyan

High-ranking former officials and MPs, some of whom are also oligarchs, continue to operate unhindered in the New Armenia. Some have been summoned to the NSS as part of the anti-corruption efforts and, as a result of some calculations, have returned funds to the state. This was stated today, on March 27, by Arman Babajanyan, an MP from the ‘Bright Armenia’ faction in the National Assembly.

Addressing Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, he asked, “It is interesting to know how much money ends their accountability. Is it a one-time amount, or is there a separate decision for each individual? Can we note that the return of funds is sufficient to consider these individuals exempt from responsibility?”

Pashinyan responded that the law is the boundary, which is adopted by the National Assembly. “The laws that will be adopted in this regard will also be considered the boundary in the future,” he said.

According to him, there is an agreement that, for example, the issue of transitional justice should be dealt with by the parliament, and the National Assembly should determine that boundary.

Pashinyan referred to the fact that representatives of the Republican Party are making quite a noise about the confiscation of property without a guilty verdict. “They do not mention that this is an obligation undertaken by Armenia in terms of corruption when they were in power, but they have not been consistent, and we are now saying that we are ready to do it. But alongside this, there can be legitimate concerns. Democracy and the rule of law are such high values that no one should hope that we will retreat even a millimeter from that line,” he stated.

Nikol Pashinyan pointed out that this mechanism is given to the parliament so that they do not say that the ‘super-prime minister’ system is being exploited. “So that you don't say, ‘the super-prime minister is creating a mechanism that allows him to confiscate property at will,’” he said.

Arman Babajanyan responded that it is good that they are commissioning the parliament, but it is precisely because of the super-prime ministership that people have returned money to the NSS, which is outside parliamentary control, and they are unable to understand the structure.

Pashinyan noted that in general, people are brought to the NSS through criminal proceedings. “We don’t hold a gun to anyone's head to say, ‘Come to the NSS.’ In the process, there are funds that people are willing to allocate for some purpose, and there are urgent needs, for example, national security expenses, and we say, ‘Very well, if the person is giving money, we also need to spend it for our country.’ As for what we have spent that money on, it would be good to present it to the National Assembly through a closed mechanism. But no one gives anyone indulgence,” said Pashinyan.

Additionally, the Prime Minister noted that under the criminal procedure code of any country, a person who cooperates with the investigation and restores the damages is considered a mitigating circumstance. “This is the case worldwide. I emphasize that personally I have neither forgiven nor accused anyone, and I do not have the authority to do so, even if I politically could, but first and foremost I feel limited by the legal obligations I have,” the Prime Minister highlighted.