Success of TIAC/CivilNet in Court
CivilNet and the "Transparency International" anti-corruption center emerged victorious in the administrative court, securing a partial fulfillment of their claim against the Environmental Protection and Mining Inspection Body. On July 7, Judge Hrach Ayvazyan ruled in favor of the two organizations, obliging the inspection body to provide the requested information.
In the previous year, CivilNet and "Transparency International" had sought access to acts resulting from inspections in metal mines conducted by the inspection authority from 2018 to 2021. Despite two refusals from the inspection body, the court ordered them to disclose information regarding violations, their nature, compliance with subsoil use contracts, etc. The Environmental Protection and Mining Inspection Body, which had previously shared inspection reports with the media, declined to do so, suggesting reliance on published reports. However, these reports only contained limited information on responsibility measures, instructions to address deficiencies, and administrative offense investigation decisions, without specifying legal grounds for information refusal.
On August 30 of the previous year, the court accepted the lawsuit from CivilNet and "Transparency International," with no opposing position or objection from the inspection body. The court highlighted the absence of requested information in the inspection body's reports. While upholding the claim, the court also acknowledged the limitations on providing data related to miners' operations and inventions.
The Law Development and Protection Foundation under the supervision of Genya Petrosyan and Elina Gyurjian, represented the interests of CivilNet and "Transparency International" in the administrative court.