AZG Armenian Daily #132, 15/07/2006

Judicial Reforms

DAVID HAROUTIUNIAN SUGGESTS NUMBER OF AMENDMENTS TO CURRENT
ADMINISTRATIVE CODE OF ARMENIA

RA Justice Minister David Haroutiunian suggested to make a number of
amendments in the current Administrative Code of Armenia. He informed
the journalists about this today, when representing the initiative to
make amendments to RA Administrative Code. He said that the suggested
amendments are conditioned by the life and the court practice. He meant
the unfair court verdicts that were taken because of the drawbacks
in the laws.

In particular, he stated that according to the current law, the
parents should bear responsibility for the damage made by a child
under 14, if it isn’t proved that the damage was made because of the
parents. The minister suggests to exclude this part, i.e. the parents
should always be responsible for the actions of children under 14. The
same thing concerns the educational or other institutions in which
charge the children are of. In the given case that institution is
as responsible, as the parents are. The next amendment concerns the
owner of an object in case of making a harm. The minister brought
the example when an upper neighbor pours you with water. "According
to the current legislation, the responsibility should bear the one
who makes the damage, i.e. the water. We suggest to make the owner
of the property bear responsibility," he said. Besides, the owner
of the animal that bit someone should also bear responsibility for,
notwithstanding whether the animal escaped, was lost or is in the
charge of another man. The minister also touched upon the so-called
sources of special danger that include the transport, the electricity
lines, etc. In this case, the owners should bear responsibility,
if it isn’t proved that the damage was made because of the suffered
side. The owners also should make compensations, if it is proved that
the sources went out of control without the awareness of the owner,
for example, the sources were stolen. In these cases, the owner is
responsible, if the owner didn’t take relevant measures to return his
property. At the same time, if the object is given to another person
on legal grounds, the owner is still responsible. For example, if you
trusted your car to someone who ran over a passer-by, the owner of
the car is responsible for the incident. The minister also touched
upon the amendments in the Criminal Code.

By Ara Martirosian