PUNISHMENTS SET FOR ECONOMIC CRIMES AND TRAFFICKING ENVISAGED TO BE TOUGHENED

Noyan Tapan
June 11, 2009

YEREVAN, JUNE 11, NOYAN TAPAN. On June 10, the RA National Assembly
in the second reading adopted the package of bills authored by NA
Speaker Hovik Abrahamian on a new law On State Service in the RA
National Assembly Staff and On Making an Addendum to the Valid Law
On Civil Service. The same day the package was also discussed in the
third reading. The voting will be done on June 11.

The bill authored by the RA government On Making Amendments and
Addenda to the RA Criminal Code was adopted in the first reading at
the sitting.

According to the main reporter, RA Minister of Justice Gevorg
Danielian, the amendments to two articles of the Code envisage,
in particular, to toughen the punishment set for trafficking. Thus,
a punishment equal for punishment set for involving people in sexual
exploitation is established for trafficking, 5-10 years’ imprisonment,
instead of the current 3-6 years.

Besides, the government proposes setting property seizure as an
additional punishment for these two acts. It is also set that a
person gets free of criminal liability for these crimes if "he is
involved in them as an aggrieved party and if he assisted disclosure
of these crimes."

Another bill of the government envisaging amendments an addenda
to the RA Criminal Code was also adopted in the second reading and
completely. Thus, in consideration of the tendency of growth of the
number of economic crimes, fines set for these crimes are increased
and sanctions are toughened, imprisonment is envisaged for some kinds
of crimes.