Prime Minister Presented with the Justice Ministry's 2019 Activity Report

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has commenced the hearings on the activity reports of the State Administration bodies of the Republic of Armenia for 2019, in line with protocol. The first report came from the Ministry of Justice, led by Minister Rustam Badasyan.

At the beginning of the meeting, the Prime Minister noted, "Practically, the current structure of the government was established a year ago with the corresponding amendments made to the legislation. Of course, in this regard, nothing has changed in the life of several ministries, but some ministries have been formed anew. We deemed it appropriate to start this consultation during this period. For the future, at the suggestion of the ministers, we might adopt a practice of holding these meetings not once a year, but more frequently for smaller reports or discussions on activities, so that we can not only record what we have planned over a specific period but also what we manage to accomplish in the meantime."

Moving on to the report, Minister Badasyan stated that during the past year, the Strategy for Judicial and Legal Reforms for 2019-2023 and the corresponding action programs, the National Strategy for the Protection of Human Rights, and the associated action program for 2020-2022, the Police Reform Strategy, and its related action programs for 2020-2022, as well as the Strategy for the Penitentiary and Probation System for 2019-2023 and its implementation program, and the Anti-Corruption Strategy and its 2019-2022 implementation program have all been approved.

Within the framework of judicial and legal reforms, the number of bodies authorized to initiate disciplinary proceedings has increased to include the Anti-Corruption Committee. The Disciplinary Commission, composed solely of judges, has been replaced by the Ethics and Disciplinary Issues Commission, which includes, apart from judges, legal scholars nominated by civil society organizations. A new procedure for evaluating judges' activities has been stipulated, whereby judges will be subject to periodic assessments. The procedure for terminating the powers of a judge based on substantial disciplinary violations has been clarified.

As a result of negotiations with the World Bank, an agreement has been reached to develop an electronic platform to validate contracts signed electronically in the financial sector by notaries (the amount of financing is 20 million AMD). It has been agreed to modernize the electronic systems of the Enforcement Service (with financing amounting to 80 million AMD). Technical specifications for the modernization of the State Registry of Legal Entities' electronic system and the digitization of archives have been presented to international donor organizations.

With the European Union, negotiations have been concluded on a new budget support program package for judicial and legal reforms worth a total of 30 million euros. The financing agreement will be signed this year.

In 2019, the National Assembly adopted amendments to the Bankruptcy Law, which came into force on April 15, 2020, aimed at increasing the accountability and professionalism of bankruptcy trustees, reducing costs and deadlines in bankruptcy proceedings, and implementing electronic systems.

Support has been provided to individuals who were affected by the events that took place in Yerevan on March 1-2, 2008. In total, 56 applications were satisfied, providing compensation totaling 630 million AMD.

Within the framework of anti-corruption reforms, changes and additions to the "Judicial Code" constitutional law and a package of related draft laws have been adopted, as well as draft laws on amendments to the law on the confiscation of property of illegal origin and related laws.

Among other reforms in the judicial authority, a balanced procedure for evaluating the moral integrity of candidates for the judges of the Constitutional Court and members of the Supreme Judicial Council has been introduced. Measures have been implemented to disclose the ultimate beneficial owners of legal entities that have received state registration. A form for the declaration of ultimate beneficial owners of legal entities has been approved; mining companies have submitted their declarations, and efforts are underway to create an electronic system for submitting these declarations.

Within the framework of penitentiary reforms, the responsibility for providing food to persons deprived of their liberty has been delegated to the private sector. Nine penitentiary facilities have joined the program, and all 12 prisons are expected to join by June 2020. In 2019, the salaries of penitentiary employees increased by about 30 percent. Penitentiaries have been equipped with modern security measures.

As part of civil registration reforms, starting from September 1, 2019, citizens can apply for any service from the Civil Registration authorities at their nearest territorial body, and all citizens can register marriages; the mandatory requirement for one of the couples to have a registration in Armenia has been removed. Armenia has fully transitioned to issuing electronic documents confirming the registration of civil status acts.

As of March 8, 2020, the largest number of birth registration organizations in Yerevan have begun registering children's births and carrying out other functions provided by law on-site. Three maternity hospitals have already joined the program, with another five expected to join soon.

Since March 2020, the Ministry of Justice has started organizing a "one-stop shop" waiting area for citizens to submit applications to the Civil Registration Agency, State Register of Legal Entities, Social Security Service, Migration Service, State Cadastre Committee, Burial Bureau, and National Archive; this is currently in its final stages, allowing citizens to submit their applications.

The database of the State Register of Legal Entities has become free for those performing media activities.

Also, a reference has been made to the fulfillment of the tasks assigned to the ministry. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan expressed satisfaction with the results of the ministry's activities in 2019 and emphasized the continuous implementation of reforms in the mentioned spheres, the realization of measures foreseen in the government program, and the necessity for the effective and timely implementation of these programs.