YEREVAN, DECEMBER 5, NOYAN TAPAN. George Colombier, the Co-Rapporteur of PACE Monitoring Commission, on December 4, met with RA Justice Minister Gevorg Danielian and RA Prosecutor General Aghvan Hovsepian. Despina Chatsivasiliu, the Secretary of the PACE Monitoring Commission, took part in the meeting. As Noyan Tapan was informed by Lana Mshetsian, the Spokesperson of the RA Justice Minister, during the meeting, the Minister was proposed presenting information on a number of questions concerning court and legal problems. In particular, the Commission took interest in the following issues: a) the guarantees of courts' independence when carrying out judicial enquiry on cases of violation of the suffrage, b) the state of ensuring budget allocations in connection with increase of the number of judges during judicial system's financing and court and legal reforms, c) the directions and results of fighting corruption in the judicial system, d) the necessity to present Judicial Code's principles to the international experts, e) the events aimed at improval of the condition of obligatory execution of judicial acts, f) issues concerning publication of the international report on tortures in the penitentiary system. According to the same source, the Minister gave the respective explanations about these and a number of other issues, which "were evaluated by the Commission as exhaustive and complete." According to Sona Truzian, the Spokesperson of the RA Prosecutor General, issues regarding court and legal reforms, human rights protection in Police structures, criminal persecution of electoral violations were discussed during the meeting with the Prosecutor General. A. Hovsepian presented the reforms being implemented in the system of Prosecutor's Office, saying that the status of independence of Prosecutor's Office has considerably risen in this context, its functions have become more clear. The transitional stage envisaged by the new law On Prosecutor's Office finished on December 1, 2007 and according to it, the new structure of Prosecutor's Office was established. The RA Prosecutor General also informed the guests that the electoral violations registered during the 2007 May parliamentary elections have been studied, examination has been carried out in connection with all signals received, as a result of which 8 cases on 17 persons have been sent to the court, 12 members of district electoral commission have been found guilty on 4 cases, 11 out of which for falsifying voting results, 1 hampering district electoral commission's work, 3 persons have been sentenced on 2 criminal cases for hampering free fulfilment of voters' will. At the same time, it was registered that as a result of examination of the formed judicial practice, a bill making stricter the punishments envisaged by the RA Criminal Code for electoral falsifications has been worked out and adopted by the RA National Assembly. According to the same source, J. Colombier expressed the hope that the Prosecutor's Office will be consistent in calling to account those guilty if electoral violations are registered in the upcoming presidential elections.

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