Advocate Arpine Yeghikyan AYLA Board Member, is sure that the independence of the Anti-Corruption Council should be ensured first of all by the independence of its members.
“It must be formed from independent subjects. If it is tended to control the corruption risks in the actions of state officials, it should not be composed of state officials in majority. The members should not have any dependency from the state positions, from their own position and other different circumstances”- Mrs. Yeghikyan noted.
Following the news feed about the functions of the Council and the expression of the NGOs’ positions, the advocate was convinced that no one of the CSOs’ suggestions was taken into consideration. “Experience will show what will happen next. If the state wants to have a well developed and sustainable civil society institute, then the representation of this institute in such council should have been more than two,’ the advocate said.
Referring to the fact that the council will implement just an advisory function, the lawyer said: “The appropriate bodies and NGOs were providing consulting, raising various problems and offering solutions in their reports. In any case such council should have some punitive function as well. That is when it sees the corruption risks it should have the right to initiate appropriate proceedings and call to responsibility the individuals whose behavior includes corruption risks and allow related offences,” Mrs. Yeghikyan concluded.
