ArmInfo. "After being appointed minister, I began to develop implementation strategies judicial and anti-corruption reforms, "said RA Minister of Justice Rustam Badasyan during a parliamentary hearing on amendments to the Judicial Code on February 24.
He noted that while developing these reforms, he set himself the goal of solving problems that occur not only in the judicial system, but also in law enforcement bodies and in the public administration system. The Minister explained that the decision to start the reform process with the judicial system is due to the fact that the judiciary is the guarantor of human rights and the cornerstone of the administration of justice. Badasyan noted that when developing this strategy, public discussions were held in various formats, the project underwent international examination, and received a positive conclusion from the Venice Commission.
The Minister said that the amendments streamline the rules of conduct for judges and the grounds for disciplinary action. It is also envisaged to expand the grounds for disciplinary action. It is planned to improve qualification examinations for candidates for judges, henceforth it will not be necessary to appoint the head of the court exclusively to a judge who has experience in this court. The Constitutional Law "On the Constitutional Court", regarding the rules of conduct for judges of the Constitutional Court, will be brought into line with the Judicial Code, the age limit for candidates for judges will also be underestimated, it will be reduced from twenty-eight to twenty-five years.
The Minister stressed that the Venice Commission, discussing the minimum age of candidates for judges, stressed that according to European standards, the election of judges should be based on merit, and not on the basis of their age.
According to the Minister of Justice, in the field of anti-corruption program, the Minister pointed out the importance of forming the Commission on the Prevention of Corruption. "We have implemented an effective system for analyzing declarations to prevent corruption, as a result of which the availability of financial data has increased to some extent," the minister emphasized.
Badasyan also noted that the procedure for disciplinary punishment and holding judges accountable has been improved.