The features of corruption occurrences and manifestations need to be proved. Advocate Artur Sukiasyan, member of the Armenian Lawyers’ Association, considers that the new body for the fight against corruption should have a large staff and wide range of powers in order to effectively fight against corruption. Corruption is a major crime and phenomenon, so only the abstract speeches, and developing programs shall not help. There should be a possibility to obtain evidence,” Mr Sukiasyan says. He believes that the body should have a rapid response team, which will be able to involve people in its activities. “I also consider that the staff should have and experts of analysis, which will conduct studies, raise issues, recommend legislative reforms. Such reforms should lead to reduction of corruption occurrences, because I believe that it is not correct to fight against corruption merely by punishing. It is necessary to raise the reasons.” Artur Sukiasyan also expressed confidence that the need to establish such a body has emerged. “Practice shows that simply developing a Commission and programs does not provide results,” said the lawyer. He also stressed that the draft that is currently circulated and which simply changes the name of the Commission on Ethics of High-Ranking Officials, expands the scope of powers, but at the same time shall have the same staff, cannot effectively fight against this blemish. Iravaban.net

The full text is available at:

http://iravaban.net/en/156513.html
© Iravaban.net

Former South Korean President Park Geun-hye was arrested on Friday over a corruption and influence-peddling scandal that led to mass protests and her removal from office, local media reported.

A judge at the Seoul Central District Court issued a warrant to arrest Park on charges of bribery, abuse of power, coercion and leaking government secrets, citing a risk that if she might destroy evidence if she were not quickly taken into custody.

South Korea’s parliament voted overwhelmingly in December to impeach Park on allegations that she allowed her childhood friend Choi Soon-sil access to classified documents and privileged information. She is also accused of conspiring with Choi to solicit bribes from Samsung Group head Lee Jae-yong in return for government favors, such as the backing of a 2015 merger of two Samsung affiliates to solidify his control over the country’s largest chaebol conglomerate.

Park was formally removed from office on March 10, stripping her of immunity.

Both Choi and Lee have also been arrested on corruption charges.

Prosecutors allege Park blacklisted cultural figures she thought were critical of her policies and prohibited government agencies from financially supporting them. Her former aides have been arrested for helping to create and manage the blacklist of more than 9,000 artists, writers and filmmakers, Yonhap news agency reported.

Park was formally arrest after a nine-hour court hearing on Thursday and transferred to a detention center south of Seoul where Lee and Choi are also being held.

If convicted, Park could face between 10 years and life in prison, but her successor has the power to pardon her.

https://www.occrp.org/en/daily/6274-former-south-korean-president-arrested-for-corruption

The trial of the case of the beneficiary of “Veles” NGO Gayane Tumasyan will be heard on 30.03.2017, at 11:00 am, at the Court of First Instance of Armavir marz  (Judge Vahe Khalatyan)

You can get acquainted with Tumasyan’s case here.

http://veles.am/en/gayane_tumasyan_case/

The examination of the criminal case initiated against Marina Poghosyan, President of “Veles” non-governmental organisation is pending at the First Instance Court of General Jurisdiction of Kentron and Nork-Marash Administrative Districts. The court publicised the materials of the case, and the interview entitled “Usurers incite the citizens to suicide” was also included in the materials.

This gives rise to many questions, perhaps also answers some questions. How does the interview of President of “Veles” non-governmental organization tie in with the criminal case initiated? First, let us briefly present what Marina Pogosyan had said during that interview. In the first sentence she blames the law enforcement system for corruption, and the officials for indifference, arbitrariness and illiteracy. Poghosyan mentions that the law enforcement officers play on peoples’ fate within the framework of various orders. “Whatever I said I can prove, one by one, through documents, but our police, prosecution office and court system ignore these facts”: said the human rights defender.

Now, let us understand why the preliminary investigation body had attached the interview to the materials of the criminal case, when the criminal case was initiated against Marina Poghosyan on a charge of illegal taking of immoveable property. In the interview given in 2014, Poghosyan acted as a human rights defender who fought against corruption and illegalities. Whereas the criminal case initiated against her in 2015 referred to the dispute arisen over the apartment of Canadian-Armenian Arpi Meras. That means her interview could in no way have any evidentiary significance for the given criminal case.

In court prosecutor accuser Edgar Petrosyan did not clarify how the interview appeared in the materials of the criminal case. Instead, Arpi Meras’s representative, advocate Hrant Ananyan, tried to clarify by saying that he thought the interview was attached to the case for the identification of identity. Judge Mnatsakan Martirosyan clarified that other documents exist for the identification of identity, such as the passport and other documents.

And, in fact, it is very difficult to find a criminal case in Armenian practice, where interviews of a person given to media are used for the identification of that person. Marina Poghosyan comments on what has happened in this way: “In that interview I blamed everyone – the investigators, prosecutors, judges. We also addressed many open letters announcing that the prosecutor’s office sponsored the usurers. Thus, it is clear that after such public accusations I made a lot of enemies in that field and this criminal case was a good opportunity for them to take a revenge on me. If Arpi Meras really had a property dispute with me, she could settle it in the civil court, as prescribed by law, but I gradually become convinced that the elderly woman is used to pursue criminal prosecution against me”: said Marina Poghosyan in conversarion with “1in.am”.

With regard to the identification of a person by using his or her interviews, Poghosyan jokingly said: “If people are identified by the interviews given to “1in.am”, only those who have managed to give an interview to you by 2 April, may participate in the elections”.

Note that prosecutor accuser Edgar Petrosyan and victim in the case Arpi Meras did not answer the questions of the journalists during the previous sittings. The prosecutor explained that he did not wish to publicise a preliminary investigation secret, and Arpi Meras kept silent on the advice of advocate Ananyan.

The next court sitting on the case of Marina Poghosyan is to be held on April 11, at 15:00.

Material by Arman Gharibyan

http://www.1in.am/2115159.html

On March 28, at 10: 00, the Court of First Instance of Kentron and Nork-Marash Administrative Districts (Judge Mnatsakan Martirosyan) will examine the fabricated criminal case against human rights defender Marina Poghosyan.

Please attend the trial and cover it, thus contributing to the transparency and objectivity of the investigation.

Dear friends and “Veles” Human Rights NGO supporters

In the recent days, I have received quiet concerned letters and phone calls from my close friends and “Veles” Human Rights NGO activists, who are concerned about the next outcome of my criminal case.

First of all, I would like to express my gratitude and at the same time I state with full responsibility that imitating the regular criminal case against me is an adequate response to the work done by our organization. The incentive of the illegal criminal prosecutions is that the work done by us has touched the pocket of the “regime”, we started to unfold the immense resources acquired as a result of the corruption of senior officials, their love to give money for interest rates, laundering the money stolen from us on our expense and other financial mechanisms. I assure you, that the reaching of this criminal case to the court has encouraged us, since now we have the opportunity to publicly prove that the given case is fabricated, as represented by the 81 years old “victim” who has no command over “his testimonies”, a group of actors, who praise the “regime” and are a derivative of the “regime”, supporting him and giving an absolute false testimony, as well as the “law enforcement” system who is the accomplice of the regime.

At least it is ridiculous that the victim could not remember and reproduce without a prompter the testimonies written with a bad scriptwriting. Everyone are definitely going to be liable for fabricating the regular criminal case against me, for giving false reports and false testimonies for a mercenary purpose, as well as for wasting the state resources (investigators, investigators, prosecutors, judges, police, people following and threatening me) for years.

P.S.

The clowns were always buried with their  rulers.

On March 22, at 10: 00, the Court of First Instance of Kentron and Nork-Marash Administrative Districts (Judge Mnatsakan Martirosyan) will examine the fabricated criminal case against human rights defender Marina Poghosyan.

Please attend the trial and cover it, thus contributing to the transparency and objectivity of the investigation.

Dear friends and “Veles” Human Rights NGO supporters

In the recent days, I have received quiet concerned letters and phone calls from my close friends and “Veles” Human Rights NGO activists, who are concerned about the next outcome of my criminal case.

First of all, I would like to express my gratitude and at the same time I state with full responsibility that imitating the regular criminal case against me is an adequate response to the work done by our organization. The incentive of the illegal criminal prosecutions is that the work done by us has touched the pocket of the “regime”, we started to unfold the immense resources acquired as a result of the corruption of senior officials, their love to give money for interest rates, laundering the money stolen from us on our expense and other financial mechanisms. I assure you, that the reaching of this criminal case to the court has encouraged us, since now we have the opportunity to publicly prove that the given case is fabricated, as represented by the 81 years old “victim” who has no command over “his testimonies”, a group of actors, who praise the “regime” and are a derivative of the “regime”, supporting him and giving an absolute false testimony, as well as the “law enforcement” system who is the accomplice of the regime.

At least it is ridiculous that the victim could not remember and reproduce without a prompter the testimonies written with a bad scriptwriting. Everyone are definitely going to be liable for fabricating the regular criminal case against me, for giving false reports and false testimonies for a mercenary purpose, as well as for wasting the state resources (investigators, investigators, prosecutors, judges, police, people following and threatening me) for years.

P.S.

The clowns were always buried with their  rulers.

Canadian-Armenian Arpi Meras, who accuses human rights defender Marina Poghosyan in committing illegal taking of property, was interrogated in the First Instance Court of General Jurisdiction of Kentron and Nork-Marash Administrative Districts of Yerevan, in the previous week. The interrogation revealed why her advocate Hrant Ananyan was trying, in every possible way, to prohibit the elderly woman to answer the questions of the journalists. Testimonies of 81-year-old Arpi Meras were full of contradictions and incomprehensible ideas. Before citing her words, it is important to emphasise that Meras announced in the court that she did not have problems with her memory, twice a year she undergoes medical examination in Canada, as she is a director of a kindergarten and she will not be permitted to work with children if she is not mentally and physically healthy. Moreover, for a moment Meras got so frankly that declared: “I certainly remember what I want to”. Now, let us turn to what Arpi Meras wanted to remember. According to her testimonies – she had issued a power of attorny to her confidant Parina Poghosyan in order the later could repair the apartment. But neither of power of attornies promulgated in the court had a notice that it was issued for the purpose of doing repairs. To the question why neither of the power of attornies contained a word on doing repairs Arpi Meras parried a question: “Does it contain a word certifying that I gave it as a present to Marina Poghosyan?” Meras told that while issuing power of attornies she always had in her mind the idea of issuing them for doing repairs. Though the content of power of attornies certifies that Arpi Meras had authorised Marina Poghosyan to sell the apartment. Moreover, under the power of attorny issued in 2012 Meras added in handwriting that she authorised Marina Poghosyan to sell and give in pledge the immoveable property. To the question why she had written by her own hand that Poghosyan could sell and give in pledge the property, Canadian-Armenian woman answered: “I wrote what I had been told to, I did not make it up… I don’t want to answer this question any more”. Judge Mnatsakan Martirosyan clarified for Meras, who had a status of a victim, that she was obliged to answer the questions of the parties, even if she did not like those questions. Nevertheless, Arpi Meras did not clarify who had particularly told her to write such a thing in the power of attorny . Just said that someone told her to do so while she was at the notary, but she did not remember who that person was. Note that while the power of attorny was issued in 2012 Marina Poghosyan was away from Armenia and was not at a notary office with Meras. Marina Poghosyan put a question to Meras — if she wrote whatever she had been told to write, was it possible that at present anyone told her to give testimony against her? This question made prosecutor accuser Edgar Petrosyan furious. He jumped up to object the question and therefore received sanction from the judge. However, the judge removed Petrosyan’s question depriving Meras of the opportunity to remember who had told her to write the testimony during the preliminary investigation. Though, while answering other questions, Canadian-Armenian Meras stated that the testimonies were written according to her words, the investigator read them and she signed under them. It is noteworthy that testimonies, given in the course of preliminary investigation by a diaspora-armenian who did not have Eastern Armenian in a chokehold, remind of legally drawn up indictments. Though the victim stated that testimonies given in the course of preliminary investigation were written according to her words, when Marina Poghosyan asked her whether she understood the meaning of the words “odorakich (air conditioner)”, “barni stoyka (bar counter)” and “tyuner (tuner)”, Meras told she did not know such words. Whereas in testimonies written in the course of preliminary investigation “according to her own words” Arpi Meras used exactly those words. After the interrogation of Arpi Meras, the first volume of the case was promulgated in the court. The next volumes shall be promulgated at the next sitting, which is to be held on 22 March, at 10:00. We will focus on the contradictions existing in the testimonies of victim witness Meras in our further publications.

By Arman Gharibyan

http://www.1in.am/2110322.html[:]

 A sanction was applied by judge Mnatsakan Martirosyan against prosecutor Edgar Petrosyan, accuser in the case of human rights defender Marina Poghosyan. The Prosecutor did not obey the instructions of the judge, and the judge delivered a warning therefore. During the interrogation of Arpi Meras, who was declared victim, the prosecutor’s nerves were shot and he was about to enter into a debate with the judge. The fact of the matter is that during interrogation, Arpi Meras often told that she did not remember this or that circumstance. With regard to one of the episodes of the case the victim announced that she did whatever she was told to do. Accused-on-trial Marina Poghosyan, who is the President of “Veles” Human Rights NGO, put a question to the victim — if she did whatever she had previously been told to do, was it possible that at present anyone told her to give testimony against her? It was here where the prosecutor flared up and և jumped up to object the question, and received sanction therefore. It is not clear what the prosecuter was so worried about. Perhaps 81-year-old Arpi Meras was going to naively say that she was sent by the preliminary investigation body to give testimony against the human rights defender. Anyhow, she did not say anything like it, as the judge removed Poghosyan’s question after applying a sanction against the prosecutor. Sanction greatly annoyed the prosecutor, he even wrote an objection during the trial to the decision the judge had rendered, and submitted there and then. You can watch the interrogation of Arpi Meras in the video material.

By ARSHAK DAVTYAN

http://m.lragir.am/index/arm/1/right/view/149940

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qvQMzQI_6JM

video by © HELSINKI ASSOCIATION

Another victory of our organization against Prosecutor’s office: I think this could be encouraging for others in their struggle. You need consistency to win.

P.S. 

Pressures and prosecution won’t brake me down. I will fight till the end and soon you will get that you well deserved – accused place

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ozosOeVUQ8s

Today, the examination of appeal of Marina Poghosyan, President of “Veles” non-governmental organisation, the representative of David Stepanyan, was completed at the First Instance Court of General Jurisdiction of Kentron and Nork-Marash Administrative Districts. Poghosyan had lodged an appeal against the dismissal of the criminal case.

Note that last year a criminal case was instituted based on David Stepanyan’s application under Article 137 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Armenia (“Threat of murder, of causing grave harm to health or of property destruction”). Stepanyan had submitted also  a recording to investigative bodies, where it is heard how Yeritsyan, former Head of Civil Aviation, threatens him by saying that in case of failure to return the money to him “blood will be spilled”.

Pursuant to the materials of the Case, Hovhannes Yeritsyan had given USD 900.000 to David Stepanyan with a monthly interest rate of 2%. According to Stepanyan’s version, he had been paying monthly interest in the amount of USD 18.000 for ten years, and when he was no more able to pay, Yeritsyan began to threaten him.

The criminal case was dismissed even though no face-to-face interrogation was conducted between Stepanyan and Yeritsyan. Marina Poghosyan stated in the court that the case was incompletely examined.

Prosecutor Narek Khachatryan objected to the appeal considering it to be unjustified. Though Khachatryan mentioned that the recording might not be considered to be evidence, as Yeritsyan was not informed of being recorded, nevertheless he referred to its content.

“The expression “blood will be spilled” is heard in the recording, which is not addressed to David Stepanyan by Hovhannes Yeritsyan. Basically he recalls another person. There was no direct murder threat”: thinks the prosecutor.

Marina Poghosyan objected by mentioning that if there were no threats Stepanyan would not be obliged to leave Armenia with his family.

Today, the judge published the decision thereof, which satisfied the appeal lodged by the President of “Veles” NGO.  Actually, the court admitted that the examination was carried out incompletely, and rendered a decision on eliminating the decision on dismissing the case.

P.S. During the last three years two criminal cases have been filed against Marina Poghosyan who was defending David Stepanyan’s rights in the court. One of the cases was dismissed and the examination of the other two cases is pending  in the court of Kentron and Nork-Marash Administrative Districts. Poghosyan was asked whether the status of being an accused-on-trial did not obstacle her to defend the rights of citizens in other cases. “Firstly, being an accused-on-trial is a status, while being a human rights defender is a state of mind. Besides, if filing a criminal case against me by them was aimed at muzzling me or breaking into out time, so as we could not defend the rights of other people, I should say they failed to meet their targets. Of course, we continue defending the rights of our clients and will keep on being engaged in human right defending activities to the bitter end”: said Marina Poghosyan.

Material by Arman Gharibyan

http://www.1in.am/2106710.html