Iravaban.net talked about the topic with Davit Harutyunyan Judge of the Court of General Jurisdiction of Yerevan about the actions regarding the judiciary in the Judicial and Legal Reform Strategy.
The Action Plan stemming from the Judicial and Legal Reform Strategy 2019-2023 provided for the strengthening of the independence and impartiality of the judiciary, the improvement of the public accountability structures of the judiciary, and a judicial system free from corruption and patronage.
Speaking about whether Armenia now has a judicial system free from corruption and patronage, Davit Harutyunyan noted, “First of all, let me mention that I am not familiar with the document “Judicial and Legal Reform Strategy 2019-2023″. Before talking about strategies, we need to look at where we are at the moment, what our situation is. A strategy was developed in the late 2000s as well. In 2010-2011, the computer method of assigning the cases was introduced, it was considered a serious achievement, and currently the President of the court is assigning. In these conditions, in order to talk about strategy, we must bring back the achievements of the past, and then talk about new developments. In these circumstances, I cannot proudly give a negative answer to the issue in question.”
He also mentioned that the current situation cannot be considered justified, objective and effective. “As for the workload, the workload of the criminal judges of the Yerevan Court in particular has be mitigated to some extent which is connected with the fact of appointment of new judges examining pre-trial proceedings.”
As for the planned changes related initiating disciplinary proceedings against judges, the judge noted that the current standards and practice, to put it mildly, are not satisfactory and do not contribute to the independence of the judiciary.
Touching upon the trust towards the judiciary among the public, Davit Harutyunyan mentioned, “I think that the judiciary enjoys the trust of society no less than any other state, and especially a law enforcement agency.”
