Deputy Prosecutor General of the Republic of Armenia Armen Harutyunyan today met with the delegation led by Vassilis Maragos, the Head of the DG NEAR Unit at the European Commission responsible for Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus and Eastern Partnership and Andrea Wiktorin, the Head of the EU Delegation to Armenia.

 

Welcoming the guests, the RA Deputy Prosecutor General attached importance to the role of the DG NEAR Unit at the European Commission in the Eastern Partnership countries, in particular in the implementation of projects aimed at creating democratic institutions in Armenia, protecting human rights and developing the justice system. In this regard, the determination of the main directions and goals of strategic reforms in the areas mentioned in the Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership Agreement between the EU and the RA was particularly emphasized. Armen Harutyunyan emphasized their importance, especially in the light of the fight against corruption, reforms of the judicial system in Armenia after the socio-political changes that occurred in 2018.

 

Ms. Andrea Wiktorin acknowledged the consistency of the Republic of Armenia in the implementation of reforms in the judicial sector, emphasizing the EU’s commitment to support these initiatives through budget support programs.

 

In his turn, Mr. V. Maragos noted that the RA Prosecutor’s Office is actively participating both in the development and implementation of reforms.

 

During the meeting, the prospects of implementing programs aimed at developing the potential of the Prosecutor's Office within the framework of reforms in the judicial sector were discussed, with regard to the directions of which the initial discussions were held back in July 2019 during a meeting with the Deputy Prosecutor General of the Republic of Armenia. We are talking about the technical support necessary for introducing alternative measures of restraints, in particular, for the institution of house arrest, as a result of which the number of cases of using custody as a measure of restraint will be significantly reduced.

 

In addition, taking into account the fact that the number of crimes committed through the use of computer technology has been increasing lately and certain difficulties often occur during their investigations, the RA Prosecutor's Office suggested to discuss the possibilities of organizing training courses for prosecutors and investigators regarding the methodology of investigating cases of cybercrime, and using other options for improving skills.

 

The Deputy Prosecutor General of the Republic of Armenia noted that especially after the adoption of legislative amendments on confiscation of property of illegal origin, there will be a need to provide methodological, expert support to prosecutors carrying out procedural supervision over the cases of corruption and financial crimes, which will give a wide range of possibilities of cooperation within the framework of EU programs.

 

During the meeting, agreements were reached on the development of cooperation projects in all the above areas and the intensification of contacts for these purposes.