Fact: New Draft Law Puts Unwanted Individuals in the Crosshairs of Authorities

According to the ‘Fact’ newspaper, the Armenian government has initiated a public discussion on a draft law concerning the confiscation of property of unlawful origin.

The draft proposes that based on non-public operational-investigative data, the Prosecutor's Office of Armenia can initiate the confiscation process of presumably unlawfully acquired property. It can also seek permission from the court to obtain bank secrecy information, merely by justifying that it is necessary.

Experts assert that the non-public nature of this information is concerning for public trust, as it remains unclear how the public will know whether operational information exists and what that information may entail.

The question also looms regarding how the existence of the investigatory basis can be appealed, and whether individuals will lose their right to defend themselves.

A professional financier and banking expert interviewed by the newspaper indicated that this draft law grossly violates the protection of individual rights and is essentially unconstitutional.

The newspaper's investigation further reveals that the proposed law completely obliterates the institution of property, which in turn undermines the economy.

Diverse experts express concerns that the adoption of this draft law may have serious political ramifications, as mainly unwanted individuals could find themselves targeted by the authorities.

Additionally, there are opinions suggesting that the government’s intent to gain control over the Constitutional Court might be aimed at concealing the unconstitutionality of this law among several other issues.

For more details, refer to today’s issue of the newspaper.