CHIEF PROSECUTOR QUESTIONS ARMENIAN LAW-ENFORCEMENT REFORM
By Emil Danielyan and Astghik Bedevian

Radio Liberty, Czech Rep.
Feb 12 2007

Armenia’s Prosecutor-General Aghvan Hovsepian indicated on Monday his
continuing opposition to government plans for a sweeping overhaul of
his law-enforcement body which looks set to lose its most significant
power.

A government bill, drafted and championed by Justice Minister David
Harutiunian, would strip the Office of the Prosecutor-General of its
prerogative to conduct pre-trial criminal investigations and give
such authority only to the police and the National Security Service.

The bill was debated by the Armenian parliament last week and is due
to be put to the vote next month.

It is part of a structural reform of Armenia’s judicial and
law-enforcement systems that was unveiled by Harutiunian in June last
year amid apparent strong resistance from Hovsepian and other senior
prosecutors. President Robert Kocharian reportedly had to intervene
in the dispute, eventually siding with Harutiunian. This was seen as
a serious setback for the influential chief prosecutor.

Hovsepian was cited Monday as voicing strong reservations about the
proposed change at a meeting with two officials from the Council of
Europe. "The prosecutor-general of the Republic of Armenia expressed
a largely positive attitude towards the draft law, but at the same
time noted that it does not settle all issues," his press service
said in a statement. No further details were reported.

The thinly veiled criticism is unlikely to deter the government
from pressing ahead with the reform that will essentially reduce the
prosecutors’ role to defending and substantiating criminal accusations
in courts. The prosecutors have until now handled the bulk of the
criminal inquiries in Armenia, giving them ample powers and, according
to critics, corruption opportunities.

Speaking to RFE/RL last Wednesday, Harutiunian said the government
plans to start implementing the reform in June. Investigators employed
by the Office of the Prosecutor-General will be offered to transfer
to the police or the National Security Service, he said.

"Criminal investigations will be conducted by other bodies," said
Harutiunian. "The main burden will fall on the police and the National
Security Service. I don’t exclude that over time investigative
units will be set up in other structures such as the customs and
tax services."

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress