As a result of amendments to the law on Remuneration of Persons Holding Public Positions and Public Service Positions, prosecutors will be paid a monthly surcharge in the amount of ninety-two percent of the official rate. The RA Deputy Minister of Justice Levon Balyan spoke about this at February 28 NA sitting.
According to the rapporteur, such an approach was put forward taking into consideration some important factors: the extremely high probability of external pressures on the prosecutor during the criminal proceedings due to the fact that the prosecutor has the exclusive authority to make both favorable and unfavorable decisions for the person during the proceedings.
“In the conditions of the continuous increase in the number of criminal cases, the overloading of prosecutors can lead to the reduction of the functions’ effectiveness reserved for the prosecutor’s office. On the other hand, overloading, high public responsibility, possible pressures on prosecutors in the conditions of low payment make their work less attractive from the viewpoint of replenishing the system with highly qualified specialists,” the Deputy Minister underscored.
According to Levon Balyan, under the conditions of surcharges to be provided to the prosecutors, it is designed to carry out certification in the system until the end of 2024.
The rapporteur responded to the deputies’ questions. They were related to the necessity of implementing reforms in the system, preventing the outflow of quality personnel, and the workload of the courts.
The co-rapporteur, the member of the Standing Committee on State and Legal Affairs Lilit Minasyan introduced the Committee endorsement. According to the deputy, the draft is aimed at improving the judicial system, and is also part of the Government’s Anti-corruption policy. “Through salary increases, we keep the prosecution system free from corruption, as well as attract highly qualified specialists,” Lilit Minasyan emphasized.
The deputy Tadevos Avetisyan made a speech on behalf of the Armenia Faction. He spoke about the problems in the social sector, expressed concern about the disproportionate distribution of salaries.