D.Dorligjav
tells our reporter in this interview immediately after handing over charge of
the President’s Office to his successor, D.Battulga, that he is not carrying
any political bias to his new position of Prosecutor-General.  A selection from the questions and answers
follows.

Congratulations on your new post. How are you going to start?

Thank you. First I
shall meet my new colleagues and understand the situation at work. Only then
shall I be in a position to make a plan of action. I have to be there in 30
minutes to formally receive my seal of office. It is a high honor and I have
several ideas about what to do be worthy of it. 

Many are hoping you will
bring more transparency to an organization reputed to be a rigid and closed
place.

I
shall know more after I start work, but I shall do my best to improve current
practices.

Your predecessor
was often criticized for the way he worked. How will you be different?

M.Altankhuyag
resigned on health grounds. Maybe prosecutors don’t realize that they are
watched by millions of eyes. My idea is that people are dissatisfied with the
entire legal system, not just with prosecutors’ work. We need to improve
people’s perceptions and improve our work, but this cannot be restricted to how
the prosecutors function. The overhaul has to include other areas of law
enforcement as well, such as the investigation office, the anti-corruption
work, the prison system. Only a comprehensive and systemic set of reforms can
tackle these deep seated problems. 

Work in the police
organization and the judiciary tends to be secretive. How are you going to make
them transparent?

Prosecutors
should carry out checks on the judiciary, investigate how detectives function,
and monitor the practices of the organizations that enforce court decisions.
Their main responsibility is to ensure that people’s legitimate expectations
are met. 

Should prosecutors be
powerful?

Of
course. Their power will stem from the legal principles that they are expected
to uphold. They must never lose sight of these when they check on court
procedures or detectives’ investigations. 

How do you see current
practices, even from outside?

There
are problems, but prosecutors alone are not to blame. There are other factors
as well. The social mentality is also to accept whatever is available. This
must change.

Will you bring in a new
team? How much firing and hiring shall we see?

People
who have been sincere and conscientious will certainly not be disturbed. Indeed
I shall offer them all assistance to be more effective. But I have already told
Parliament I shall not retain those with problems of ethics or other problems. 

Some have said you’ll
address legal issues from a political point of view. Some MPs have also
expressed such doubts. Are these concerns true?

Wait
and see. I don’t have any political bias. I hope people will realize this after
some time. 

Should the police, the
courts and the prosecutors always work in secret?

Some
of their work has to be secret. Details of investigations and interrogations
cannot be made public in the name of transparency. But this cannot be an excuse
to shut the people out of everything. They have a right to know much more than
they are commonly allowed. I’ll stand by this principle. 

You were head of the
Office of the President when he announced his plan for legal reforms. Is that
plan your target?