IN PROTECTION OF PUBLIC INTERESTS
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[06:23 pm] 28 November, 2006
It turns out that both the authorities and the Opposition voted in
favour of the Armenian residents during the hearings of the draft
law on "Alienation of Property for State and Public Needs".
Today the Friday Club hosted Rafik Petrosyan, head of the NA Standing
Committee on legal issues and member of the Republican Party and
Vardan Lazarian, member of National Democratic Party.
To note, Mr. Petrosyan voted for the bill and Mr. Lazarian voted
against the bill but both of them voted in the name of the people in
their words. Mr. Petrosyan didn’t deny that the bill has a number of
faults. "I was guided by the principle, "it is better to have a law
with flaws than nothing".
In his opinion all the drawbacks can be revised in case the law
complies with the Constitution. Mr. Petrosyan also referred to the
provisions of the law protecting the interests of the residents of
the alienated territories.
"All the former decisions under which the residents were evicted have
been considered void".
Thus, the decisions on the alienated territories might be
reconsidered. The residents can appeal to courts to review the
decisions and to get back 10 percent income tax levied from them",
said Mr. Petrosyan.
In his words, if the citizens can prove in the court that they were
forced to make the bargain, they were cheated and led to delude,
the decisions will be found null and void.
Mr. Lazarian claims that the Constitutional amendments were
fabricated. Asked the question why the society accepts the fabricated
Constitution, Mr.
Lazarian said, "Regardless of the fact, we endorse or reject the
amendments, the Constitution is the fundamental law of the country
and we must be guided by it".
Mr. Petrosyan is content with the acting Constitution.
He voices hope that all the faults of the bill on "Alienation of
Property for State and Public Needs" will be reviewed by the CC. He
doesn’t intend to join the deputies who are going to boycott the bill
in the CC as he voted for the bill.