Illegal Property to be Seized by Government

A new body will be established within the Office of the Attorney General to search for and find property of illegal origin. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan made this statement during a government session while commenting on the proposed "Draft Law on the Seizure of Property of Illegal Origin."

"Illegal origin property is characterized as not stemming from a person's legitimate income, from which he could possess such property," he said.

Justice Minister Rustam Badasyan clarified that individuals who come under the attention of the newly created body will receive notifications and will be asked to submit income and property declarations, based on which decisions will be made. "The value of the property is compared to the individual’s actual income, and if there is a difference of 25 million drams or more, the notification process begins," Badasyan noted.

The draft law primarily concerns corrupt activities involving public officials. The scrutiny will extend not only to the individual in question but also to the property owned by connected individuals. If the legal origin of the property cannot be proven, the person will lose the property, and the state will have the right to seize it.

Moreover, a key feature of the law is that property seizure is carried out without a guilty verdict. The authors of the draft believe this is a crucial factor in preventing corrupt crimes.

Interestingly, the timeline for property acquisition is set back to 1991. The government accepted the draft; the final decision will be made by the National Assembly.

It should be noted that former Justice Minister Artak Zeynalyan stated that the "Transitional Justice" framework would be presented to the public within the context of the Judicial Reform Strategy. This strategy is still under development.

Additionally, a draft of the 2018-2023 Judicial Reform Strategy and Action Plan was also developed in 2017, during the previous administration. It was officially signed by former Prime Minister Karen Karapetyan and published exclusively in English on the Ministry of Justice's official website with a date of January 22, 2018. Although the new authorities do not accept these reforms, they are developing their own strategy for 2019-2023.