On April 9, 2008, the FOI Center filed a claim at the RA Administrative Court (seated in Etchmiadzin) against the Zartonk village mayor’s office, asking the court to require the mayor’s office to provide the requested information and impose administrative sanctions against the mayor Paruyr Sargsyan.
The RA Administrative Court admitted the claim partially and refused to admit the part where the plaintiff asked to impose administrative sanctions against the mayor, saying that the FOI Center failed to present any evidence that it has the right to bring such claims before the court in accordance with Article 254 of the RA Code on Administrative Violations. In other words, according to the court, a non-governmental organization has no right to bring cases to the administrative court, asking the latter to impose administrative sanctions against someone.
On 23.04.2009, the FOI Center filed a claim at the RA Administrative Court, asking it to overturn the administrative court’s decision on inadmissibility of the part of the claim where the FOI Center asked to impose a 50,000 AMD fine on the mayor of Zartonk.
On April 28 the RA Administrative Court upheld the FOI Center’s complaint and overturned the RA Administrative Court’s decision of 10.04.2009 in the administrative case VD4/0074/05/09 on in admissibility of the part of the claim where the FOI Center asked to impose a 50,000 AMD fine on the mayor of Zartonk.