Hovsepian: Investigative Committee to have professional investigators

Professional investigators will be included in the Investigative Committee being set up in Armenia and they will work in specialized investigatory offices, the former Prosecutor General of Armenia Aghvan Hovsepian said at the regular public discussion on the creation of the Single Investigative Committee.

According to him, the package of amendments to 17 laws related to the investigative department is already in the Armenian parliament and will be later submitted to the National Assembly for discussion.

“We have already determined the preliminary structure of the Investigative Committee and the work principles so as to ensure the maximum efficiency of the body,” he noted.

In the words of Aghvan Hovsepian, the investigatory offices will be equipped with special equipment.

The institution of ombudsman will be introduced into the Committee. The ombudsman will cooperate with Armenia’s Human Rights Defender and respond to human rights violations committed by law enforcement agencies.

On September 25, 2013 Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan signed a decree on the creation of a commission responsible for juridical ensuring of the formation of the single investigative body, which is headed by the former Prosecutor General Aghvan Hovsepian who resigned shortly before that. The commission is set up on the basis of investigative bodies of Defense Ministry and the State Revenue Committee with the aim of strengthening the independence of investigative bodies and increasing the efficiency of investigative actions.