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According to the RA Deputy Minister of Territorial Administration and Infrastructure Kristine Ghalechyan, the purpose of the package of draft laws on Making Amendments to the RA Code on Administrative Offenses and on Making Addendum and Amendment to the RA Criminal Code is to tighten the liability measures established by the legislation for the violation of the order of using the highways of common use. With the adoption of the drafts, it is expected to increase the amount of fines provided by the RA legislation for the damage caused to the state as a result of damage to roads and road infrastructures and to tighten the liability measures. Technical and editorial amendments were made during the period from the first to the second reading. In their speeches, the Committee members touched upon the issue of road surface markings, emphasizing the supervision and the adoption of the package of drafts. The Committee Chair Vladimir Vardanyan attached great importance to the proper application of similar drafts after their adoption, noting that this is one of the first necessary steps to improve road traffic in Armenia.

The proposed amendments and addenda to the Code on Administrative Offenses were debated in the second reading.

The Head of the Inspection Bodies’ Coordination Bureau of the RA Prime Minister’s Staff Petros Martirosyan presented the amendments made during the period from the first to the second reading. In case of repetition of the offense under a number of articles, instead of doubling the fine imposed for the given act, a fine has been set in the amount of doubling the fine imposed for the previous case. The original draft provided for, for example, an administrative liability of 10-50 thousand AMD, and in case of repetition, a fine of doubling the amount, but it was not specified in the amount of doubling which one. Petros Martirosyan explained that the fine will be twice as much as it was originally in case of repetition of it.

The amendments proposed in Article 109 of the current code were removed from the draft, and the terms of entry into force of a number of articles were also revised.

According to the current law, the Prosecutor General can present the petition on the initiation of criminal prosecution against the deputy and the Human Rights Defender or the consent to take them into custody only in the upcoming regular sittings of the National Assembly. The deputies of the NA Civil Contract Faction Hasmik Hakobyan and Arpine Davoyan propose to make addenda to the Rules of Procedure of the National Assembly constitutional law, according to which it will be possible to organize the debate of the above-mentioned issue by convening an extraordinary sitting or session.

The co-author of the initiative Hasmik Hakobyan mentioned that the experience of around 30 countries was studied. “In most countries with similar bases, an opportunity is provided to debate the issue within the framework of an extraordinary sitting.”

The initiative was not amended from the first to the second reading.

The co-rapporteurs, the MP Anush Kloyan and the RA Deputy Minister of Justice Armenuhi Harutyunyan presented a positive position regarding the initiative.

The adoption of the draft law on Making Addenda to the Law on Remuneration for Persons Holding State Positions and State Service Positions authored by the Government stems from the 2022-2026 strategy of Judicial Reforms and is conditioned by the necessity to review the system of remuneration given to judges of first instance courts. The adoption of the draft will promote guaranteeing the independence of judges.

The draft proposes a 60% surcharge for the judges of the Court of First Instance, the Bankruptcy Court and the Administrative Court. During the period from the first to the second reading, the Government revised the draft, by which it was proposed to provide the judges of the Criminal Court of Appeal, the Civil Court of Appeal and the Administrative Court of Appeal with an additional payment of 55%.

According to the draft law on Amending the Law on Ensuring the Activities, Service and Social Guarantees of Public Officials, Article 7.6.4 of the law is designed to be written down in a new edition.

The debated draft laws were endorsed at the sitting of the NA Standing Committee on State and Legal Affairs on October 20.