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The amendments being proposed to the law on Whistleblowing System and a number of other laws are conditioned by the necessity of the development and upgrading of the whistleblowing system and the implementation of the assumed international obligations. At September 12 NA sitting the RA Deputy Minister of Justice Yeranuhi Tumanyants informed about this, presenting the main regulations.

The legislative amendment proposes to spread the relations regarding the whistleblowing also on the private sphere and community organizations, to design whistleblowing in the situations not being a crime of corruption character, including the possibility of anonymous whistleblowing, at the same time setting an authorized body investigating such cases of whistleblowing.

In Q & A session the deputy Vladimir Vardanyan opined that a situation not complying with the law in force was created and was interested in the statistics of the sphere.

Presenting the statistical data, Yeranuhi Tumanyants noted that in 2019, 188 whistleblowing cases related to evident corruption character were received by the Prosecutor General’s Office. 153 out of them were anonymous. In 2020, 140 whistleblowing cases were received through the whistleblowing system, and 119 out of them – anonymous. In 2021, from the received 75 whistleblowing cases 68 related to the cases of evident corruption character, 70 – were anonymous. In 2022, the data were not received yet.

Heriknaz Tigranyan highlighted the fact that the whistleblowing should be not only the incompatibility of the corruption crimes, but also the collision of interests, also on the corruption risks. According to the MP, the law not being in force is conditioned not only by incompleteness of the regulations, but also by the public way of thinking, as the whistleblowing is not perceived in our society as a support to the law enforcement system or intolerance towards corruption.

Yeranuhi Tumanyants specified that the Government took measures in the development of the whistleblowing system, adopted the communication programme, by which distinctly would be whistleblowed about this system. She noted that the amendments to the law were discussed with the concerned forces, as well as with the international partners. According to the Deputy Minister, the whistleblowing on the law to the public will be more inclusive, stressing the fact of being anonymous in order the people feel themselves protected. “The surveys show that often the whistleblowers are deprived of whistleblowing, as they are afraid of vendetta and consequences,” Yeranuhi Tumanyants said.

The RA NA President Alen Simonyan, addressing to the Deputy Minister, noted that we should be consistent in removing the whistleblowing posters located in the city or replacing them in a new way. Yeranuhi Tumanyants assured that measures are taken in order the whistleblowing will not be only by posters and leaflets.

“An agreement was reached to thoroughly discuss he disputable issues from the first to the second reading,” the Deputy Chair of the NA Standing Committee on State and Legal Affairs Vahagn Hovakimyan said in his co-report.

As the deputy Vigen Khachatryan assessed, we shall not reach success, if we do not take into account the peculiarities of our society. According to him, it is possible to write a law complying with the international standards, The MP is convinced that the provision on the anonymity should be removed: it will result in corruption and speculation.

Vladimir Vardanyan also expressed opinion that the features of our country in this sphere should be taken into account. “We highlight very much the fight against corruption, such draft is important, but we should have a draft, which will be in force, not be turned into a draft, which is directed simply to the whistleblowers’ protection. It shall be aimed at eradicating corruption through the whisleblowers’ protection,” the MP said.