The RA Deputy Prosecutor General David Melkonyan has  received the delegation of the UNDP Technical Framework Mission.

 

Greeting the experts, David Melkonyan stated that the Prosecutor General’s Office has rich experience in partnership with various UN institutions and attached importance to the UNDP mission from the perspective of assessment of the needs for reforms in Armenia’s judicial-legal field, short-term and long-term problems and components.

 

Members of the delegation, in turn, noted the beginning of reforms aimed at strengthening the justice system in Armenia, introducing transparency and accountability mechanisms, noting that their goal is to clarify not only the main areas of UNDP support for this process, but also the means and scope.

 

During the meeting, the sides discussed issues related to the introduction of new systemic anti-corruption mechanisms, the effectiveness of criminal justice and prosecutorial oversight of corruption criminal cases according to the model of a single anti-corruption body, methods of developing professional skills of investigators, prosecutors and judges in the fight against corruption, standards of judges and prosecutors, a wide range of issues relating to disciplinary proceedings.

 

Deputy Prosecutor General David Melkonyan presented in detail the role of the RA Prosecutor's Office in the structure of the public administration system, as well as the constitutional legal guarantees and the main functions of the prosecutors' independence.

 

The parties touched upon the main priorities and tasks of the RA Prosecutor’s Office in the fight against crime, under which the Deputy Prosecutor General highlighted the strengthening of the fight against cybercrime at the national and transnational levels, as well as the regulation of legislative gaps that hinder the effectiveness of the fight against corruption.

 

David Melkonyan, in particular, noted that the main problem is the introduction of legal mechanisms for the return of stolen property illegally acquired through corruption schemes, taking into consideration that the Armenian legislation is significantly behind the countries with a successful anti-corruption experience. According to David Melkonyan, everything is being done, including cooperation with partner international organizations, to ensure that the legislative changes initiated for these purposes meet the European standards for the protection of human rights and the international commitments undertaken by Armenia.

 

During the discussion other issues of mutual interest were also raised.