CASSATION COURT CHAIRMAN ARGUES IN FAVOR OF TENFOLD INCREASE OF JUDGES’ SALARIES
Armenpress
Apr 13 2007
YEREVAN, APRIL 13, ARMENPRESS: Chairman of Armenia’s Court of Cassation
Hovhannes Manukian admitted today that the country’s judiciary system
has yet to do a great deal of job to become independent and win the
confidence of people.
Speaking to a news conference he blamed the lack of people’s trust
in the country’s legal system on the remnants of the Communist-time
psychology, inherited from the previous regime.
Another reason, according to him, that plays a role is that the image
of an Armenian court judge is far from being ‘perfect."
He said one of the main objectives of the second stage of judiciary
reform, to be backed up by a World Bank credit, will be to find
solutions to these problems.
He said the relevant legislation sets clearly ethical norms for judges
to obey. "The people’s trust in judges must be anchored on their high
moral standing," he said.
Manukian also argued that as a guarantee of independent administration
of justice judges’ salaries should be raised ten times from the
current 250,000 Drams and admitted that a segment of judges, who do
not fit the necessary requirements, must be sacked, but added that it
should be done cautiously ‘not to make the entire system dependable
on people who have decided to purge the system."