
ArmInfo. Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan addressed the searches being conducted in the office of politician Andranik Tevanyan at a briefing on May 22.
According to Pashinyan, he received information about Tevanyan's espionage activity from the RA National Security Service, which is handling the operational part of the case. Responding to a question about whether there were any political instructions to law enforcement agencies, since the prime minister himself had effectively accused the politician of espionage the day before during the election campaign, after which the Investigative Committee presented some information on the case, the prime minister noted that when espionage activity is uncovered, it presupposes a certain operational investigation.
"We still have an espionage case, but we're not detaining these people for one simple reason: we're conducting operational surveillance to uncover networks and methods of operation. Not to mention that the assignments a spy receives provide us with information about intelligence activities being conducted against us. The decision to detain someone is made when the operational interest has been exhausted. Detaining a spy immediately is inappropriate; we need to give them the opportunity to identify their connections so we can see them," Pashinyan stated, adding that the party Tevanyan is running for is also significant. In this regard, the prime minister questioned who the chairman of this party (referring to Prosperous Armenia Party leader Gagik Tsarukyan - ed.) is receiving his orders and why he carries them out. Does he realize he's dealing with foreign intelligence services, does he understand this, or is he unable to comprehend it? "Is his son's wanted status related to this? Was he influenced by this? Is he voluntarily serving against the interests of his country, or does he have business interests?" Pashinyan asked.
Andranik Tevanyan is number two on the electoral list of the Prosperous Armenia Party, led by Gagik Tsarukyan. Earlier today, it was reported that searches were underway at Tevanyan's office and at the Mother Armenia Party. The previous day, the Investigative Committee issued a statement announcing that a criminal case had been opened against former parliament member Andranik Tevanyan, a candidate for Prosperous Armenia, for treason and espionage. According to the case file, Tevanyan, while serving as an MP for the Armenia faction in 2024, leaked the contents of a secret parliamentary session to a foreign think tank for $622,000.