Armenia's ruling party moves to mandate reporting from security chiefs

Members of the ruling Civil Contract party in Armenia are proposing legislation that would require the heads of the Investigative Committee, National Security Service, and several other state agencies to report directly to Parliament.

Parliament Speaker Alen Simonyan, along with MPs Sisak Gabrielyan and Arsen Torosyan, aim to amend the Parliament's Charter to facilitate this change, Caliber.Az reports citing an article in a Yerevan-based newspaper.

Currently, officials such as the Ombudsman of Armenia, the Prosecutor General, and leaders of the Central Bank, Accounts Chamber, and Television and Radio Commission are required to report to Parliament annually.

However, this list excludes the heads of the Anti-Corruption Committee, Investigative Committee, Public Services Regulatory Commission, Competition Protection Commission, and Corruption Prevention Commission.

The newspaper noted that previous attempts to summon these officials to Parliament have been met with refusal. If the proposed changes are enacted, these leaders would be obligated to answer questions from MPs at least once a year.

By Tamilla Hasanova