YEREVAN. – The Government of Armenia is discussing the avenues whereby it will be possible to collect the amounts paid from the state budget, and as a result of the European Court rulings against Armenia, from those officials by whose fault these rulings were made, Haykakan Zhamanak daily reports, quoting First Deputy Justice Minister Grigor Muradyan.         

‘“Those mechanisms exist in our legislation. It is [simply] necessary to find the grounds so that the international standards and our legislation are synchronized,’ the Deputy Justice Minister said, and added [, however,] that the judges are not included in the list of officials from whom compensation can be demanded.    

‘The judges have independence. Even if they have made wrong rulings but have not allowed a willful blatant violation of the law, this is moreover a matter of competence. But the judge’s willful blatant violation of the law is a crime and this is another procedure altogether,’ the Deputy [Justice] Minister said,” Haykakan Zhamanak writes.