Criminal Case Initiated by the Special Investigation Service of Armenia Over False Accusations Made by Garnik Isagulyan

During a press conference held at the 'Hayeli' media club, Garnik Isagulyan, the president of the 'National Security' party, claimed that the former director of the National Security Service of Armenia, Argishti Kyaramyan, distributed Armenian passports to individuals of Azerbaijani descent through heads of passport departments he appointed. He also alleged that Nikos Pashinyan and his associates received $48 million from Turks and Azerbaijanis in relation to the revolution conducted in Armenia in 2018, suggesting that materials were prepared in the NSS of Armenia, leading to the initiation of a criminal case.

The Special Investigation Service (SIS) has issued a statement regarding this matter. The statement notes, 'During the preparation of materials regarding G. Isagulyan's statements, the aforementioned claims were refuted. On December 4, 2020, the investigator decided to refuse to initiate a criminal case due to the absence of a crime.' It further emphasized that since signs of apparent false accusations were found during the preparation of materials, a criminal case has been opened by the SIS under the first part of Article 333 of the Criminal Code of Armenia.