Ombudsman: Cassation Court uses double standards

Armenia’s Court of Cassation is guided by double standards when taking a decision about rejection or acceptance of a complaint, Deputy Ombudsperson of Armenia Genya Petrosian said at a press conference today, presenting the special report of the Armenian ombudsman.

“The Court of Cassation composed of the chamber’s chairman and three or five judges takes a decision about acceptance of a cassation appeal. The majority of appeals are not accepted for examination by the Court of Cassation. In 2012 the Civil and Administrative Chambers received 2,928 complaints. 2,474 (90.5%) out of the 2,733 vised complaints were rejected. 76 complaints (6.6%) were accepted,” Ms. Petrosian said.

As regards corruption mechanisms in the court system, the ombudsman’s special report says that according to surveys and studies, the amount of bribes in courts of first instance is lower than in the higher courts. The ombudsman’s report notes that the amount of bribes in the Court of Cassation can reach several dozen thousand dollars.

Genya Petrosian expressed hope the report will set a precedent and play an important part in the sphere. “Law enforcement bodies should be more vigilant,” she said.