ArmInfo.Armenian President Armen Sarkissian considers the legal justification of the amendments adopted by the National Assembly regarding the disclosure of banking secrets controversial and appealed to the Constitutional Court with a request to consider their compliance with the country's Constitution. This was reported by the press service of the President of Armenia.
According to the information, the matter concerns additions and amendments to two laws: the Code of Criminal Procedure and the Bank Secrecy Law. These amendments were adopted by the National Assembly of the Republic of Armenia on January 22, 2020.
It should be noted that the amendments were based on justifications for improving the tools and capabilities of the fight against corruption crimes. As noted by RA Minister of Justice Rustam Badasyan, the package provides for the availability of banking data during investigative measures against persons suspected of corruption. Moreover, the data should be accessible not only in relation to the suspected person, but also members of his family and related persons. But ensuring this accessibility can only be achieved if there are significant arguments. The final decision on the disclosure of bank secrets of a particular person is made by the court on the basis of the petition of the investigator and the prosecutor in charge of the case.
In this case, there must be the consent of the Prosecutor General or his deputy. According to the minister, the package not only ensures the independence of the banking system, but also raises it to a new qualitative level. The proposal of the executive body also proceeds from Armenia's international obligations, including the methodology for the 3rd and 4th round of monitoring of the Istanbul anti-corruption action plan and MONEYVAL proposals.