Armenian Model of the Fight Against-Corruption should be created: Discussion at the Anti-Corruption School for Young Leaders

During the regular lesson of the Anti-Corruption School for Young Leaders, the participants discussed the Armenian model of the anti-corruption system.

Mr. Karen Zadoyan, President of the Armenian Lawyers’ Association delivered the lecture. The students discussed the Armenian model of the anti-corruption system that should be based on the Armenian reality, context as well as the past anti-corruption experience. According to Karen Zadoyan, the Armenian sovereign model can be effective if it is composed of the following entities: a universal anti-corruption body, an anti-corruption court and a specialized subdivision for corruption cases in the structure of Prosecutor’s Office. And this approach has also been stated as a result  of the he Government-Civil Society International Expert Conference on “RA Anti-corruption Strategy of the Republic of Armenia in Light of International Experience” which was held in Yerevan on April 17-18.

Notably, the creation of a specialized subdivision for the investigation of corruption cases in the structure of the Anti-Corruption Court and Prosecutor’s Office is envisaged in the Draft Anti-Corruption Strategy of the Republic of Armenia and its Implementation Action Plan for 2019-2022.

“It is necessary to create the Armenian anti-corruption model. Prior to following the example of another country or region, we should evaluate the peculiarities, uniqueness and relevance of our country. The universal independent anti-corruption body should have exceptional guarantees of independence envisaged by the Constitution, and must be guided by the principle of effective disposition of funds allocated to it. The Constitution shall also provide the immunity of the heads and employees of the universal body. In case of having separate institutions to fight corruption, which is currently has chosen our government, the actual independence, transparency and accountability of these bodies are not guaranteed. The immunity of the separated institutes, the Corruption Prevention Commission and the Anti-Corruption Committee staff are not guaranteed as well” says Karen Zadoyan.

At the end of the lesson, the students chose the basic principles to guide the body to be created to combat corruption.

  1. Independence:
  2. Developed capabilities.

 “The Armenian Lawyers’ Association” NGO is organizing the Anti-Corruption School for Young Leaders in cooperation with the Armenian CSO Anti-Corruption Coalition.

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