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NOTARIES IN FOCUS AS ARMENIAN JUSTICE MINISTRY PRESSES AHEAD WITH REFORM
Mariam Gaboyan
ArmeniaNow
26.05.11 | 11:55
The ongoing reforms initiated by Justice Minister Hrayr Tovmasyan
in his ministry began with notary offices and marriage registration
agencies.
Still a month ago, Armenian Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan, citing
relevant studies, criticized notary offices for "widespread bribery".
"We have widespread discontent, widespread bribery in terms of the
application of functions and citizens are not informed about what
fees they should pay. They [notaries] charge sums that turn out to
be two or three times as high as the rates set by us," Sargsyan said
at a meeting of his Cabinet on April 21.
Justice Minister Tovmasyan thinks that "classical bribes" are not
taken at notary offices, but rather they charge fees that are higher
than the set limit.
A "comprehensive monitoring of notary offices" conducted by the
Association of Young Lawyers has revealed that notary offices on the
average charge three times as much for their services as the rates
set by the government.
The Ministry has already announced that rates will be changed within a
month's period and the practice of payment by hand will be eliminated.
In addition, an oversight department has been set up at the Ministry
to deal with illegal charging of fees. By the way, before the
establishment of this department the minister (and ministry staff)
caught media attention by their unannounced visits to notary and
marriage registration offices, mainly during early morning hours,
in order to reveal shortcomings in these agencies.
As a result of the establishment of this oversight department another
small unit at the ministry in charge of notary offices was disbanded.
Mariam Gaboyan, who headed the unit overseeing the work of all notaries
in Armenia for more than two decades, went public on Wednesday
to express her and her two other colleagues' disagreement with the
decision. The three workers are now on the Ministry personnel reserve
after the redundancy decision.
One of Armenian websites wrote in connection with the veteran ministry
official's dismissal that Tovmasyan has finally managed to "get rid"
of an official who has been "taxing" notary offices.
At a press conference, without naming names, Gaboyan described the
move as "a guided order". She expressed her skepticism about the
ongoing reforms in the sphere.
The former head of the disbanded notary unit denied the existence of
corruption in notary offices.
She gave the following interpretation: "Corruption refers to
officials. A notary is not an official. As a lawyer I have said, and
will insist on this, that corruption does not exist [in notaries],
because if you think that someone's interests have been breached,
7,000 drams have been charged from him or her instead of 5,000 drams,
this is already a matter of breaching consumer interests. A competent
lawyer will know that."
An incident happened at the press conference between Gaboyan and a
group of citizens who claimed they had suffered because of the actions
of some notaries. They would interrupt the speaker, making a noise
and accusing Gaboyan and notary offices allegedly controlled by her
of certifying illegal documents that had led to their losing property.
Gaboyan advised that these citizens go to court.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
Mariam Gaboyan
ArmeniaNow
26.05.11 | 11:55
The ongoing reforms initiated by Justice Minister Hrayr Tovmasyan
in his ministry began with notary offices and marriage registration
agencies.
Still a month ago, Armenian Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan, citing
relevant studies, criticized notary offices for "widespread bribery".
"We have widespread discontent, widespread bribery in terms of the
application of functions and citizens are not informed about what
fees they should pay. They [notaries] charge sums that turn out to
be two or three times as high as the rates set by us," Sargsyan said
at a meeting of his Cabinet on April 21.
Justice Minister Tovmasyan thinks that "classical bribes" are not
taken at notary offices, but rather they charge fees that are higher
than the set limit.
A "comprehensive monitoring of notary offices" conducted by the
Association of Young Lawyers has revealed that notary offices on the
average charge three times as much for their services as the rates
set by the government.
The Ministry has already announced that rates will be changed within a
month's period and the practice of payment by hand will be eliminated.
In addition, an oversight department has been set up at the Ministry
to deal with illegal charging of fees. By the way, before the
establishment of this department the minister (and ministry staff)
caught media attention by their unannounced visits to notary and
marriage registration offices, mainly during early morning hours,
in order to reveal shortcomings in these agencies.
As a result of the establishment of this oversight department another
small unit at the ministry in charge of notary offices was disbanded.
Mariam Gaboyan, who headed the unit overseeing the work of all notaries
in Armenia for more than two decades, went public on Wednesday
to express her and her two other colleagues' disagreement with the
decision. The three workers are now on the Ministry personnel reserve
after the redundancy decision.
One of Armenian websites wrote in connection with the veteran ministry
official's dismissal that Tovmasyan has finally managed to "get rid"
of an official who has been "taxing" notary offices.
At a press conference, without naming names, Gaboyan described the
move as "a guided order". She expressed her skepticism about the
ongoing reforms in the sphere.
The former head of the disbanded notary unit denied the existence of
corruption in notary offices.
She gave the following interpretation: "Corruption refers to
officials. A notary is not an official. As a lawyer I have said, and
will insist on this, that corruption does not exist [in notaries],
because if you think that someone's interests have been breached,
7,000 drams have been charged from him or her instead of 5,000 drams,
this is already a matter of breaching consumer interests. A competent
lawyer will know that."
An incident happened at the press conference between Gaboyan and a
group of citizens who claimed they had suffered because of the actions
of some notaries. They would interrupt the speaker, making a noise
and accusing Gaboyan and notary offices allegedly controlled by her
of certifying illegal documents that had led to their losing property.
Gaboyan advised that these citizens go to court.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress