Armenian police interested in information about Migran Pogosyan's involvement in "Panamanian dossier"

The Armenian police began a check in connection with a reference in the "Panamanian dossier" on offshore companies to Migran Pogosyan, the retired chief of the Armenian Service for Compulsory Enforcement of Judicial Acts. The Armenian law does not prohibit officials or MPs to hold shares in commercial companies, emphasizes economic analyst Hayk Gevorgyan. Opposition MP Aram Manukyan has noted that MPs make all efforts to register their businesses on the names of their relatives.

According to the disclosed documents, one of the companies, in which Migran Pogosyan is mentioned as a shareholder, is directed by Arthur Stepanyan, an Armenian MP from the Republican Party. However, the experts interviewed by the "Caucasian Knot" have claimed that they do not expect resonant resignations in connection with the publication of the "Panamanian dossier".

The Armenian police began a check in connection with the publications in the online-newspaper "Hetq.am", reports the press service of the Armenian police.

According to Hayk Gevorgyan, an observer of the newspaper "Haykakan Zhamanak", the main problem is not in the fact that the official owns offshore companies, but in the fact that the companies may use offshore registration to evade taxes.

The authorities should show political will and ban the activities of the companies registered in offshore zones, Hayk Gevorgyan has added.

According to Aram Manukyan, the secretary of the parliamentary faction of the "Armenian National Congress" (ANC), about 70 Armenian MPs do not conceal the fact that they own businesses.

Full text of the article is available on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’.