The new legislative package in Armenia will expand the access of law enforcement officials to citizens' banking secrets, said Armenian Justice Minister Rustam Badasyan on Tuesday.
According to him, under current law, investigators and prosecutors can receive bank account information only with respect to suspects and accused. At the same time, accounts of related parties are not subject to verification.
He proposed to make available to the investigation the banking data of family members and related persons when there is a suspicion that they participated in the crime or, at least, knew about it.
Access to the banking data of such persons will be strictly limited. So, the investigation will be able to receive it only with a strictly defined list of crimes, including corruption. Secondly, a sanction on the banking data of related parties can only be obtained with the permission of the prosecutor general or his deputy. And thirdly, the court must decide whether this measure is the only possible way to solve the case.
