Thursday, 10 April 2014
GRECO-drafted proposals to be submitted to the National Assembly The institute of active repentance to be enforced more effectively
Today’s Government meeting was chaired by Deputy Prime Minister and acting Minister of Territorial Administration Armen Gevorgyan.
At the meeting, the Government approved the draft law on amendments to the electoral code, which was developed in response to the proposals of the Council of Europe’s group of States against corruption (GRECO).
The electoral code does not establish a mechanism whereby a political party’s accounts will not be reviewed by the auditor submitted by the same party. GRECO is urging the authorities of Armenia to revise the relevant regulations until June 30, 2014. Thereby, it is proposed to add the following new sentence in Section 4 of Article 28 of the electoral code: “The oversight powers referred to in this section shall not be extended to such payments, estimates and costs as have been implemented by their factions.”
The Government has approved another GRECO-proposed Bill to amend the code of administrative offences. Given the characteristics and complexity of detection of offences of political and financial nature and, therefore, the inexpediency of envisaging a one-year statute of limitations, it is proposed to establish a 2-year statute of limitations to administrative responsibility.
The meeting endorsed a draft law on amendments to the law “On alternative service,” which sets a deadline for submission of alternative service applications and specifies the applicants’ status. This in turn will help fully regulate the relationship associated with the organization of alternative service in Armenia.
The meeting approved a draft law on amendments to the criminal code, which, given the requirement to clarify the boundaries of the institute of active repentance, as well as the existing international experience in this sphere. It is proposed to introduce such specific and necessary conditions in the relevant provisions of the criminal code which as taken together will suffice to enforce the aforementioned institute of active repentance.
If the draft law is adopted, the authority granting immunity will be able, on the basis of specified criteria, to address the exemption from criminal liability of such persons who gave commercial bribes, bribes or kickbacks. This, in turn, shall contribute to effective implementation of the institute of effective active repentance in these situations.
The Government deems it urgent to adopt the aforementioned Bills, which in due course will be submitted to the National Assembly.
