Constitutional Court upholds law on seizure of illegal assets

PanARMENIAN.Net - The Constitutional Court of Armenia has published its full decision regarding the constitutionality of the Law on the Confiscation of Property of Illicit Origin, following an appeal by at least one-fifth of the members of the National Assembly.

The ruling spans 101 pages and is now in effect, as it is final and comes into force upon publication.

In its concluding provisions, the Court states that clauses 5 and 6 of Part 1 of Article 5 of the Law, when read in conjunction with Part 1 of Article 24, comply with the Constitution. The interpretation clarifies that property subject to confiscation under the law must have been acquired after the relevant official assumed office.

Clauses 1 through 4 of Part 1 of Article 5, also in conjunction with Article 24, are constitutional on the basis that the property must be linked to a corresponding criminal offense.

The remaining provisions of the law challenged by the applicant were found to conform to the Constitution within the scope of the arguments presented.

Under Article 170(2) of the Constitution, the Court's decision is final and takes effect immediately upon publication.