The vote on the draft legislation in the second and final reading went 80 to 38, with 2 abstentions in its favor.
Under the bill, Armenia will have a new body called “Anti-Corruption Committee” tasked with investigating corruption cases.
The body is expected to be formed and start operating in the second half of 2021, after which the currently operating Special Investigative Service (SIS) will be abolished.
Presenting the bill on the Anti-Corruption Committee last December Armenia’s Justice Ministry said that the new body will inherit most of its powers from anti-corruption divisions of four Armenian law-enforcement agencies, including the SIS, that have long prosecuted corruption-related crimes.
Mariam Galstian, a senior official at ministry, expressed confidence then that the Anti-Corruption Committee will be in a much better position to combat bribery and other corrupt practices.