The Draft Law on the Anti-Corruption Committee was presented for public discussion and discussed in the Newsroom booth of 1in.am.\u00a0 Ms Suzanna Soghomonyan, Lawyer\/Expert on Anti-Corruption Issues of the Armenian Lawyers\u2019 Association, and Ms Mariam Galstyan, Head of the Anti-Corruption Policy Development Department of the RA Ministry of Justice participated in the discussion.<\/p>\n
Susanna Soghomonyan said:\u00a0\u201cIt turns out that the body will be an investigative body as defined by the Constitution.\u00a0But we have some reservations about the structure of the body, including the procedures by which the committee chairman will be appointed.\u00a0The point is that the final decision on the appointment of the Chairman of the Committee is left to the Prime Minister.\u00a0I think that within the current legislative arrangements, the appointment by the Prime Minister should be purely ceremonial.\u00a0And then, taking into account the fact that constitutional reforms are envisaged in the Republic of Armenia in the near future, I think the possibility of establishing an independent universal anti-corruption body should also be discussed.\u00a0However, even if there is no proper political will, at least the Anti-Corruption Committee and the Anti-Corruption Commission should be an independent constitutional body with constitutional guarantees.<\/p>\n
She also welcomed the fact that the Chairman of the Committee was elected through a transparent and inclusive procedure through the Competition Board.<\/p>\n