NSS tried to contact the chairman of the Constitutional Court of  Armenia, but the latter did not answer calls

ArmInfo.On October 19, the National Security Service of the Republic of Armenia (NSS) distributed an addition to the statement of October 18, in which it  clarified the need to obtain explanations from family members of the  Chairman of the Constitutional Court of the Republic of Armenia Hrayr  Tovmasyan.

"We inform you that the head of the department, which prepared the  materials, previously tried through the head of the apparatus of the  Constitutional Court of the Republic of Armenia to personally contact  the chairman of the Constitutional Court in order to agree on the  day, time and place - to receive explanations from his assistant and  family members, but he did not answer the calls and didn't get in  touch. After that, notices were sent in the manner prescribed by law,  "the NSS said in an additional message.

To recall, yesterday National Security Service (NSS) of Armenia  presented the rationale for its actions against members of the family  of the chairman of the Constitutional Court of Armenia. The  department's message, in particular, notes that the grounds for  inviting Vardan Tovmasyan, the father of the chairman of the  Constitutional Court of the Republic of Armenia, Hrayr Tovmasyan, to  the NSS could be abuses committed in 2012-2014 during construction  works in the building on the balance sheet of the Ministry of Justice  of the Republic of Armenia (855 mln drams), as well as during repairs  in the "Abovyan" penal institution and a school in the Sari-Tagh  community of Yerevan (15 mln drams). According to the National  Security Service, during these works, appropriation and embezzlement  might have occurred, in connection with which Vardan Tovmasyan was  asked to give explanations. In the framework of the materials  prepared by the NSS, a number of examinations were appointed. The NSS  turned to Vardan Tovmasyan to conduct a study of the roof of his  mansion, but a refusal was received. Moreover, meeting V. Tovmasyan's  request, he was asked to give clarifications in his house, and the  NSS officer went there, however V. Tovmasyan preferred to give  explanations in the administrative building of the NSS in the  presence of his lawyers. According to the report, on the basis of the  prepared materials, measures are being taken to concretize the damage  caused to the state, as well as to identify officials who accepted  the work that was not actually performed. At the same time, the NSS  notes that the clarifications from the family of Hrayr Tovmasyan are  needed in the framework of conducting checks of the information  received on undeclared property in the established order belonging to  the official or his relatives. "The mentioned procedural actions were  performed in the presence of lawyers of the indicated persons in  compliance with guarantees of his rights," the NSS said.

To note, on October 17, the Special Investigation Service opened a  criminal case on the seizure of state power by a group of persons on  the basis of a statement by the independent MP of the National  Assembly of Armenia Arman Babajanyan. The case was brought under  Article 300 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Armenia (seizing  power through the use of violence or the threat of violence, as well  as the appropriation of the powers of the president, chairman of the  National Assembly, government or the Constitutional Court by methods  not provided for by the Constitution). The statement of the MP  concerns the legality of the chairmanship of the head of the  Constitutional Court of Armenia Hrayr Tovmasyan in this position.  TheMP in his message to the Prosecutor General's Office noted that  Tovmasyan committed violations of the law upon assuming this position  in 2018. That is, the parliamentary powers of Tovmasyan were  terminated without a corresponding statement on the basis of a  nonexistent justification by the then NA President. According to  Babajanyan, parliamentary powers cannot be terminated on non-existent  grounds.