On November 24, the theme of the debate of the parliamentary hearings, organized on the initiative of the Standing Committee on State and Legal Affairs of the National Assembly, was the draft of the RA Law on Making Amendments and Addenda to the RA Criminal Code. MPs, representatives of the executive authority, establishments of state management, NGOs etc. participated in the hearings.

Opening the parliamentary hearings, Mr. Davit Harutyunyan, Chairman of the Standing Committee on State and Legal Affairs of the National Assembly said that the Government of the Republic of Armenia in January 2008 presented a draft law on Making Amendments and Addenda to the RA Criminal Code. Debates, related to the draft law, were organized in the committee and it was decided to organize parliamentary hearings, considering that public opinion is very important for adopting such a law.

The main speaker, Mr. Mnatsakan Sargsyan, Deputy Prosecutor General of the Republic of Armenia, the adoption of the law on Making Amendments and Addenda to the RA Criminal Code, conditioned with the necessity of the amendment of the criminal judicial policy, realized in the struggle against the economic crimes.

The questions, directed to the main speaker, related to the protection of the interests of consumers, the efficiency of toughening of the measures of punishments, the necessity of the amendment of Article 190 of the Criminal Code, the activity of small and average business, etc.

According to Mr. Artak Davtyan, co-speaker, member of the Standing Committee on State and Legal Affairs of the National Assembly, it would be difficult to clarify the limits of crimes, realized within the framework of civil-law relations.

The next co-speaker was Mr. Krist Pilosyan, vice-president of the Union of industrialists and businessmen. He said that the concern of the state in the field of economy is commendable in the aspect of defining rules, adding that the attitude of the Union of industrialists and businessmen is negative towards the adoption of the law.

Taking floor on the issue, Mr. Artur Osikyan, Deputy Head of the State Tax Service, adjunct to the RA Government, presented the statistical data on the executed work on tax crimes.

In his completing speech, Mr. Artak Davtyan, member of the Standing Committee on State and Legal Affairs of the National Assembly, highlighted the realization of tax legislation.

Mr. Mnatsakan Sargsyan, Deputy Prosecutor General of the Republic of Armenia, thanked for the productive debates and proposals, certifying that the draft needs to be reviewed. He noted that the bill will be developed in the joint work with the committee and also the experience of the European countries would be taken into consideration.

During the debates the MPS and other persons, interested in the issue, expressed a number of issues, which will help to improve the law in the future. There were also business proposals, which will be taken into consideration by the committee in its future works.

Summing up the parliamentary hearings, Mr. Davit Harutyunyan, Chairman of the Standing Committee on State and Legal Affairs of the National Assembly highlighted the organization of public debates on the bill.