The initiative, which was discussed by the parliament’s committee on state and legal issues on Tuesday, aims to hold key officials accountable through annual reports and question-and-answer sessions with lawmakers.
The proposed changes, which are part of an amendment to the law regulating the activities of the National Assembly, would extend accountability beyond the Prosecutor General’s Office – currently the only law enforcement body required to report to parliament.
Under the draft amendment, heads of several additional agencies, including the Investigative Committee, the Anti-Corruption Committee, the Economic Competition Protection Commission, and the Public Services Regulatory Commission would be obligated to answer questions from MPs. The initiators of the change indicated that they also support the inclusion of the State Revenue Committee in this list.
“We believe that this procedure should be implemented as soon as next year,” said Sisak Gabrielian, a member of the ruling Civil Contract faction.
Gabrielian, who is among the lawmakers championing the change, noted that such sessions could help address pressing issues, but also warned they might have “consequences” for those who fail to provide satisfactory answers.
“You may have noticed that in this parliament, when we received incomplete or unsatisfactory answers, it led to consequences,” Gabrielian said. He pointed to a recent example where the head of the Public Services Regulatory Commission resigned shortly after a contentious parliamentary session.
Gabrielian also highlighted the importance of increased scrutiny of law enforcement as a political instrument. “If we can generate enough public or political noise, it will certainly have consequences,” he said, referring to the potential fallout from such sessions.
Gabrielian also suggested that the opposition could take advantage of such opportunities as well.
Artsvik Minasian, a member of the opposition Hayastan faction, supported the idea of his pro-government colleagues, describing it as “positive.” He suggested that the list of law enforcement agencies accountable to parliament could be expanded even further.
The draft amendment must first be approved by the committee before it can be put to a vote in parliament.
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