• October 1, 2018

Diplomatic passports to those “closest” to powers

Diplomatic passports to those “closest” to powers

The diplomatic passport is a document awarded to high-ranking officials and families of diplomats by the Foreign Ministry of Armenia. Spokesman of the Foreign Ministry of Armenia, Tigran Balayan informed recently that 254 diplomatic passports had been canceled. Most people were governmental officials or family members of governmental officials who were not lawful to have been awarded with diplomatic passports.

For example, family members of Serzh Sargsyan and Robert Kocharyan had such passports. This was informed about in the Anti-Corruption Blog.

Without relinquishing the role of those who obtained a diplomatic passport illegally, yet evidently the blame falls mainly on the structure that had awarded those passports, i.e.  the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Armenia. According to this, “Veles” human rights NGO filed a report on the crime to the Prosecutor General of Armenia, by which requesting to initiate a criminal case and to subject to criminal liability those who awarded the diplomatic passports thus abusing their official powers.

The crime report is attached.