Chaired by Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, the regular sitting of the Anti-Corruption Policy Council took place at the Government.
The first issue on the agenda referred to the recommendations of the GRECO and Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) on the results of the 2021 evaluation of the Republic of Armenia. These are about the activities of the Corruption Prevention Commission, the Prosecutor’s Office, investigative bodies, the National Assembly and the implementation of certain functions. A discussion took place in connection with the proposals, during which various observations and opinions were presented.
Prime Minister Pashinyan highlighted the continuous increase of Armenia’s rating in the reports of reputable international organizations, noting that in this context it is necessary to acknowledge the received signals. The Prime Minister stressed that these recommendations should be considered in view of the need to increase the efficiency of state institutions. According to the Prime Minister, institutional reforms, including in the anti-corruption and judicial spheres, are of key importance for the Government. In this regard, Nikol Pashinyan particularly stressed that as a result of these reforms, for example, public confidence in court decisions should increase significantly. “Our task is to continuously raise the image of Armenia in the rankings given by reputable international organizations, so we must be as consistent as possible in this issue,” Nikol Pashinyan stressed.
PM Pashinyan instructed to evaluate the above-mentioned recomendations and make appropriate changes based on their results.
Next, the report on the activities of the Corruption Precention Commission in 2021 was presented to the Council. It was noted that during the reporting period, the declarations of more than 210 officials were checked and analyzed, 139 of which were judges. The declarations of the family members of the above-mentioned officials were also additionally checked. As a result, both disciplinary proceedings were initiated and some cases were sent to the Prosecutor’s Office.
It was noted that starting from June 2021 the system that includes the declaration of expenses was re-launched, and a new form was developed to fill in the declaration.
Last year, the Corruption Precention Commission investigated 45 cases of incompatible requirements and conflicts of interest, 15 of which were based on media reports. 3 proceedings were initiated on the above-mentioned grounds. At the same time, the ethics of 103 candidates for state position was examined and relevant conclusions were given.
The Council assessed the activity of the Corruption Precention Commission in 2021 as positive. Prime Minister Pashinyan stressed the importance for continuously developing the mechanisms of the Commission, including their improvement through digitalization.
The meeting also addressed the problems arising during the selection of investigators and Neighborhood Police Officers of the Anti-Corruption Committee, the proposals aimed at their solution, as well as the “Draft Law on Making Amendments to the Criminal Procedure Code of Armenia” submitted by the Anti-Corruption Committee.
