It is Proposed That From Now On, Council Members Also Submit Declarations

The Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Armenia has presented for public discussion the drafts of the laws on amending the law on 'Public Service' and on amending the 'Electoral Code of the Republic of Armenia.'

The ministry has noted that certain categories of officials in local self-government bodies, specifically community council members and secretaries of staff, are exempt from the obligation to submit declarations. The activities of these officials can lead to potential conflicts of interest or other situations, and to mitigate such risks, the ministry deems it necessary to expand the circle of declarants to include the aforementioned officials.

The draft revises the list of officials required to submit declarations. It is proposed to impose a declaration obligation on council members and staff secretaries of communities with a population of 15,000 or more.

Declarations are to be submitted to the newly established Anti-Corruption Commission. Additionally, when declaring property, the draft imposes an obligation on the declarant to also provide information about property located abroad. It is also proposed to lower the monetary threshold for declaring expensive property, which is currently set at 8 million AMD.

The ministry believes that the information received from the authorized body is insufficient to form a complete picture of the property status of the official. It is proposed to introduce an expense declaration institution. It is also suggested to define the types of expenses subject to declaration and the scope of information to be submitted regarding those expenses.

This will enable the authorized body to obtain comprehensive information regarding the property status of the declarant official and will aid in the detection of potential violations.