During the regular session of the Anti-Corruption Policy Council, Minister of Justice of Armenia Rustam Badasyan presented the results of the tender held for the participation of non-governmental organizations in the Anti-Corruption Policy Council.
The minister stated that necessary measures have been taken to make sure participation is as inclusive as possible. The participation of NGOs representing the business sector in the Council was also considered. The Prime Minister attached importance to the participation of NGOs representing business circles in the Council and assigned the minister to ensure their participation.
During the session, the justice minister presented the revised draft of the Republic of Armenia Anti-Corruption Strategy and its Implementation Action Plan for 2019-2022. According to him, there were wide public deliberations in Yerevan and all the provinces of Armenia, and the revised version of the Strategy contains major elements such as coordination for, monitoring of and oversight over implementation of the Action Plan and communication with the public, as well as the analysis and financial assessment of expenditures with the support of EU experts.
Badasyan touched upon the main areas of the Anti-Corruption Strategy. In particular, the Strategy envisages the establishment of an Anti-Corruption Committee, a Commission for the Prevention of Corruption, specialized Anti-Corruption Courts and a department of the Prosecutor General’s Office that will oversee investigation into corruption crimes.
Afterwards, the participants of the session exchanged views and discussed a broad range of issues related to the topics incorporated in the Strategy, particularly the reforms in the system of declarations, the scope of officials to submit declarations, the activities of the anti-corruption institutional system and the guarantees for its independence, the activities of specialized courts, the ensuring of capacities of judges, etc.
Summing up, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan attached importance to the interesting discussions that contribute to the development of an integrated and comprehensive version of the Anti-Corruption Strategy and its Implementation Action Plan. He stated that all the comments have been made, the ones that can be incorporated in the Strategy have been incorporated and now it is time to approve the document and take action as soon as possible.
