The National Assembly of Armenia approved in the second and final reading on Tuesday amendments to the law regulating intelligence operation by law enforcement authorities.

The measure, inititated by Armen Khachatryan and Sipan Pashinyan, members of the ruling My Step faction in parliament, vests the police with the authority to carry out phone tapping for surveillance, Tert.am reports. The previous law reserved the powers only to the National Security Service only.

According to the authors, the law will facilitate the process and save time in terms of organizational matters and the motions filed to the NSS by authorized bodies seeking the actions.

The Cabinet, however, had not approved the bill.

The Justice Ministry had said that giving the police the authority to conduct phone tapping would require major financial expenses. It had also noted that currently the law on criminal procedures is being revised and it will in turn lead to revising the law on intelligence activities.

The bill was adopted with 97 votes in favor, 20 against and one abstention.

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21.01.2020 12:39