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On January 20 the RA NA Standing Committee on State and Legal Affairs organized parliamentary hearings to discuss the draft law on the RA Legal and Judicial Reforms 2012-2016. NA deputies, members of the government, representatives of the Court of Cassation, Prosecutor’s Office, Police and NGO, journalists were participating in the discussion.

In the opening word Davit Harutyunyan, Chairman of the NA Standing Committee on State and Legal Affairs has noted that the goal of the discussions is to hear opinions, interpellations, on the basis of which the document will be elaborated. A comprehensive proposal will be prepared, which will be submitted to the RA President, as the document will be approved by the RA President’s order.

In his key speech the RA Minister of Justice Hrayr Tovmasyan has mentioned that the programme of reforms stipulates adoption or improvement of a number of material and judicial codes, as well as functioning reforms of the power and judicial self-government bodies corresponding to the RA Constitution, investment of a qualitatively new and complete system of training of judicial power human resources, provision of continuous improvement of existing and material base, boosting of alternative structural orders of dispute solution and rise of efficiency of services being rendered to the public.

Georgi Kutoyan, Assistant to the RA President, noted that the draft law of the programme was discussed on December 22 during the conference at the RA President and by the President’s proposal it was decided to hold parliamentary hearings.

Arman Mkrtumyan, Chairman of the RA Court of Cassation, in his speech considered welcoming the elaboration and adoption of the programme.

Gagik Ghazinyan, Dean of the Faculty of Law of Yerevan State University, also has welcomed the presented initiative, noting that the goal of the programme is to have independent and reporting judicial system.

Davit Harutyunyan, Chairman of the NA Standing Committee on State and Legal Affairs, has highlighted the document, noting that it proposed interesting solutions of the problem. He touched upon the wordings written in the programme and their strategic importance. The Committee Chairman considers welcoming the more distinct wording of the strategic problems. Davit Harutyunyan stressed that serious work had been done, the 2012-2016 programme should be a main guideline, by which the legislative, executive and power authorities will be led.

Those responsible for the sphere in their interpellations touched upon the creation of the specialized courts, the problem of the electronic management of the archive and statistical system in the Prosecutor’s Office, the prosecutors’ training, equalization of the wages of the judges and prosecutors, providing rooms for prosecutors in the court, etc. In his final speech the RA Minister of Justice Hrayr Tovmasyan touched upon all interpellations and gave exhaustive answers. He thanked the NA Standing Committee for organizing discussions and expressed hope that draft law programme would be more improved as a result of discussions.

In his concluding speech Davit Harutyunyan proposed those present to submit their recommendations and remarks to the Justice Ministry within two weeks.