Bribing voters may bring 10-year prison term

PanARMENIAN.Net - The maximum prison sentence for giving election bribes will be increased to 10 years, National Assembly Speaker Alen Simonyan has announced. He said a legislative initiative proposes tougher penalties for both giving and receiving election bribes.

According to Simonyan, the issue will be discussed and put to a vote during an extraordinary session of the National Assembly, Armenpress reports.

“This concerns both giving and receiving election bribes. The penalties for these offenses will be strengthened,” Simonyan said.

The speaker noted that the current maximum prison term of seven years for receiving an election bribe is proposed to be increased to nine years. At the same time, the punishment for giving an election bribe would also be tightened, rising from the current maximum of eight years to ten years in prison.

“Naturally, this is not the only tool that will be used against those who give and receive election bribes. There will be other mechanisms, and there will also be political consequences,” the National Assembly speaker said.

The chair of the Anti-Corruption Committee has appealed to the Minister of Justice, proposing legislative amendments based on the findings of a review of corruption-related electoral crimes uncovered during the period preceding the parliamentary elections.

The committee has proposed legal regulations aimed at reducing the possibility of such schemes being used in the future, including through the introduction of restrictions on political forces involved in electoral processes.