The Number of Applications to the Special Investigative Service Has Increased by About 80% Since the Revolution: Sasun Khachatryan

Applications directed to the Special Investigative Service have significantly increased since the 2018 revolution. Judicial oversight has also expanded, and almost any decision is being appealed. This was stated by the head of the service, Sasun Khachatryan, during a Q&A session with parliamentarians after presenting the report on the execution of the 2018 state budget in the permanent commission for legal and financial-budgetary issues of the National Assembly, as reported by Armenpress.

Deputy Sergey Atomyan from the My Step faction inquired whether there was a need to involve new investigators due to the large number of cases. Khachatryan responded, “Since the revolution, the number of applications has increased by about 80 percent. Among these, there are many applications that do not even relate to the functions of the service, but resources are spent on each application. Based on some of these applications, materials are prepared; if a person reports a crime, materials must be prepared and a decision must be made.”

“Judicial control has expanded to the point that any decision is appealed. Investigators are forced to spend part of their day in courts due to these appeals, which creates additional burdens,” Khachatryan added, noting that the workload is indeed very high.

He also mentioned that they apply to the Prosecutor General, and based on his instructions, investigators from other services, such as the Investigative Committee, NSS, and the State Revenue Committee, are sent to work under the supervision of the investigators of the Special Investigative Service in investigative groups. Khachatryan assured that they are doing everything possible to ensure that the quality of the work does not suffer.