Setting ad hoc ethics commission to study PAP lawmaker Tsarukyan’s issue may be viewed as political persecution: My Step faction head

Head of My Step faction Lilit Makunts says the creation of NA ethics ad hoc commission to study lawmaker Gagik Tsarukyan’s issue may be viewed as political persecution.

“Previously the ethics commission was a stable, acting commission which was not set up on separate occasions while now the situation differs. With the current NA Regulation ethics commission is being formed on the basis of political decisions. I think it may be a very bad precedent because if we create ethics commission on the basis of political decision it may be commented as political persecution, if we do not create a commission it may appear that we have reached political arrangement. This is a two-sided wrong situation,” Makunts told the reporters at the NA today.

In the current situation, the faction head said the best solution is to wait for the assessments of law enforcers. Nevertheless, Makunts did not exclude the possibility of setting an ad hoc ethics commission.

She also stressed the necessity of legislative amendments to have a constant ethics commission to be able to study such like issues.

Citizen’s Decision party has applied to the law enforcers as well as to the NA asking to set an ad hoc ethics commission to study the violations Gagik Tsarukyan made and deprive him of parliamentary mandate. The party claims that Tsarukyan is dealing with business activity which is a violation of law as a lawmaker is not allowed to be engaged in business activites.