Public Investment Committee approves nearly AMD 30 billion programme for courts with new standards in Armenia

The investment programme “Courts with Modern Standards” — submitted by the Ministry of Justice — was approved during the session of the Public Investment Committee held under the chairmanship of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan

Minister of Justice Grigor Minasyan noted that the following is proposed under the components of the draft:

1. Developing uniform standards for court buildings (court building internal structure — closed, open, restricted zones, designing courtrooms and offices, property equipment standards);
2. Developing a typical court model, according to specialisations and instances;
3. Uninterrupted and safe environment for digital infrastructures of courts (technical equipment standards, digital infrastructure management model, server economy maintenance conditions);
4. Inventory taking and evaluation of the current state of all court buildings. Reconstruction of 4 courts (3 courts in marzes and one single criminal court in Yerevan, instead of the current seats in Kentron, Shengavit, Avan and Ajapnyak);
5. Developing a new and effective map for the distribution of court buildings. Developing a new strategy for maintenance of court buildings

The programme of the Ministry of Justice got the highest score out of all the drafts in the agenda, taking into consideration the fact that the Internal Rate of Return (IRR) of the programme was around 74%.

The term for implementation of the investment programme “Courts with Modern Standards” is 5 years. It is envisaged to implement it in co-operation with the World Bank, as a result of which the daily and systematic issues such as unequal court building conditions, absence of proper zoning, lack of attractiveness of the court system, unnecessary delays in judicial proceedings due to disruptions in the system of recording meeting minutes, the current obstacles for persons with disabilities and other essential issues, will be resolved.

Nikol Pashinyan mentioned that it is necessary to be able to have courts with standards by which citizens will not be able to differentiate whether they are in a court in Yerevan, or in a court in, for example, Goris.

Deputy Prime Ministers Mher Grigoryan and Tigran Khachatryan; Chief of Staff to the Prime Minister Arayik Harutyunyan; Chairman of the Supreme Judicial Council Karen Andreasyan; Head of the Judicial Department Nairi Galstyan; Advisor to the Minister of Justice Liana Tovmasyan and representatives from other government agencies also took part in the session.