ArmInfo. Until it is clearly clarified what exactly is meant by the term vetting of judges, it is difficult to comment on the Prime Minister's statement that judges will be vetted. Chairman of the Chamber of Advocates Ara Zohrabyan, stated this on May 23 in an interview with journalists.
He noted that it is not clear who exactly will check the professional qualities of a judge, and what the main parameters will be, and whether only judges should be vetted, or whether investigators and prosecutors should also apply.
Zohrabyan also said that when the concept and tooling of vetting was presented, then it would be possible to clearly evaluate it and express one's point of view. "Back in the 14th century, Grigor Tatevatsi noted that there are 4 reasons for which the cup of justice can lean in one direction or another - bribe, kinship, fear and illiteracy. All of the above factors are available today. Do not be guided only by the concepts of a good judge or a bad one, they are often overloaded, you need to unload them. That is, a number of complex actions should be taken to increase the efficiency of the judiciary. Moreover, I also think that the salaries of judges should be increased. We also need to raise the legal consciousness of judges. After all, there are judges who, for whatever amount of salary you would raise, will still look for side income paths, "the head of the Chamber of Advocates noted.
On the question of how he assesses the Prime Minister's statement that "surgical intervention" is necessary in the judicial system of Armenia, Zohrabyan said: "Everything concerns what kind of interference is involved. If something cannot be healed with medicine, you need surgical intervention. But if by this the Prime Minister means "decapitation" of the judiciary, then I am totally against it, "the head of the Chamber of Advocates concluded.
To note, on May 19, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan made an appeal to the citizens of the republic to block the entrances and exits of all courts. The next day, he noted that "surgical intervention" must be carried out in the judicial system of Armenia.