ArmInfo.Judges of the Constitutional Court of Armenia, the Supreme Court of Justice and the courts of the country will be included in the social package. The decision was taken at the February 21 meeting of the RA government.
RA Minister of Justice Artak Zeynalyan, who submitted the decision, stressed that the draft complies with the requirements of the judicial code and the law "On the Constitutional Court" and aims to increase the independence of the country's judicial system. With the provision of social guarantees, as the Minister noted, issues related to Armenia's international obligations will also be resolved. "An important factor in ensuring the independence of judges is not only material, but also social guarantees," said Artak Zeynalyan. As part of the social assistance package, judges will have the opportunity to rest in Armenia or Artsakh, they will be provided with the necessary funds to pay off mortgage loans, pay tuition fees, and purchase health insurance policies. Moreover, part of the funds can be used for other purposes, for example, in repayment of credit obligations. It is planned that the innovation will take effect from 2020. Total package will be able to take advantage of 230 judges and their families.
RA Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan stressed the importance of this decision. "There may be a question, they say, all the problems of citizens have been solved in the country and are already passing to the judges? Of course not, but I think that if we took a step and included 250 thousand citizens into this system, then also bringing 230 judges into this system is a balanced and sensible step. This step will reduce corruption risks in the judicial system and not look into the hands of those who applied, "said the head of the Armenian government, adding that in this case it is not just judges, but all citizens of the country and the state as a whole.