YEREVAN, MAY 5, NOYAN TAPAN. The draft law on judicial service, which was passed in first reading by the RA National Assembly, envisages the creation of a judicial department. The Head of the RA Cassation Court Staff Edgar Sedrakian told NT correspondent that the judicial department will be accountable to the RA Council of Justice, the Council of Court Chairmen, the General Assembly of Judges, and, to some extent, to the Chairman of the RA Cassation Court. According to E. Sedrakian, the new body to be created is called upon to assist and promote the independence of courts, strengthen the independence of the judiciary, while not interfering in the administration of justice, as well as to ensure the full and efficient execution of powers given to Armenian courts, the RA General Assembly of Judges, the RA Council of Court Chairmen and the RA Council of Justice and their participation in civil legal relations. The judicial department will represent a single system of vertical subordination composed of structural and separated (consisting of the RA court staffs) units. The main task of the body is to create favorable conditions for efficient functioning of judicial power by implementing the appropriate personnel policy, financial, material, technical and other measures. The department will fulfil such functions as to examine the functioning of Armenian courts, work out proposals for improving their activities and financing, analyze and summarize judicial practice and statistics, organize the work of court archives and the development and introduction of necessary program measures of court proceedings and record keeping, as well as to organize information and legal support of court activities and carry out work on coordination of the legislation. The department will also keep the personal files of judges and court employees, implement preparatory work for holding competitions to fill vacancies in the judicial service and organize the work of competition commissions, supervise budget resource spending by Armenian courts and the judicial department's units, and perform an audit of their financial activities.

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