Taking into account the raised public interest in the information published in the mass media, in order to prevent unspecified and, in some instances, misinformation-disseminating comments, the National Security Service of RA deems appropriate to inform that, within the criminal case initiated in the Investigation Department of the NSS on the fact of apparent grievous crime, the body conducting the case, being responsible for ensuring the complete, objective and full investigation of the circumstances of the case, at the same time fully respecting the lawyer’s activities and meeting the requirement of the law for protection of the legal professional secrecy, in order to detect items and documents of importance to the case and having the court’s permission to conduct a search in the lawyer’s office, on 25 November 2019 planned to conduct a search in an office of one of the lawyers of the Chamber of the Advocates,which wasn’t related to the latter’s lawyer activities and functions as it was directly aimed at detecting the tools and means of the crime.
While highlighting the role and importance of the institution of the Bar–established in the Republic of Armenia–in human rights protection, the National Security Service of RA urges to refrain from various speculations and to raise and solve the legal issues only on the legal level; besides the NSS considers it is worth recalling that the lawyer’s license is not a guarantee of permissiveness and that the interference, in any manner, in the activities of the investigator of the case in order to hinder the investigation, even for protection of the professional activities, creates liability under the corresponding article of the Criminal Code of RA.

Note: The suspect or accused of an alleged crime is considered innocent as long as his guilt is not proven in a manner prescribed by the Code of Criminal Procedure of RA - by the court decision entered into legal force.