Chief of Staff of the President of Mongolia P. Tsagaan, and Human Rights and Legal Policy Advisor to the President Ch. Unurbayar submitted today the draft Law on Public Hearing to the Speaker of Parliament Z. Enkhbold.

Following the submission, Mr. P. Tsagaan held a brief press briefing on the purpose and purview of the draft law. “The draft Law on Public Hearing, initiated by President Elbegdorj, has just been submitted to the Parliament. A smart government is a government, which, on one hand, is democratic, on the other – accountable. The overarching purpose of this law is to ensure citizen participation in public administration and governance. This is the first law to enable citizens’ participation in drafting, approving and implementing a state policy.
There are a number of types of public hearing: legislative, oversight, budget, investigative, administrative, onsite and public appointment hearings. For instance, the legislative public hearing is a hearing of the voice of the public for initiation and drafting of a law. This law, once enacted, shall provide a legal basis for organization and holding of public hearing, public participation.

Public hearings will be organized for the public to participate in drafting laws, setting norms, administrative actions and approving budgets. According to this law, if the official, officer which conducts the hearing, i.e. which introduces any draft legislation, provides false information, he or she shall be held accountable. According to the laws, effective today, the witnesses or experts are held accountable at a court session only, if provide false statements. The proposed draft Law on Public Hearing sets to impose the same punitive measures to the public officials who provide false information at public hearings as for the false statements before the court of justice.