The Powers of Parliament\u27s Committees of Inquiry

Preiskovalne parlamentarne komisije so delovna telesa parlamenta, ki delujejo v okviru njegovih pristojnosti. Preiskovalna komisija se od drugih delovnih teles razlikuje predvsem po tem, da ima pooblastila, podobna kot sodišča v kazenskem postopku, njeno delovanje pa urejajo Ustava, Zakon a parlamentarni preiskavi in Poslovnik o parlamentarni preiskavi, smiselno pa se uporabljata tudi Zakon o kazenskem postopku in Zakon o prekrških. Parlamentarna preiskava se odredi v zadevah javnega pomena z namenom, da se ugotovi in oceni dejansko stanje, ki je lahko podlaga za odločanje Državnega zbora o politični odgovornosti nosilcev javnih funkcij, za spremembo zakonodaje na določenem področju in za druge odločitve Državnega zbora iz njegove ustavne prisotjnosti. Postopek preiskave obsega več stopenj. Za dokazovanje ima preiskovalna komisija na voljo vrsto pristojnosti, med katerimi so: zaslišanje oškodovanca, zaslišanje priče, odreditev izvedenca, odreditev hišne ali osebne preiskave, zaseg predmetov in odreditev ogleda. Pri tem mora komisija za izvedbo prisilnih ukrepov zaprositi sodišče. Pomembna je tudi dolžnost vlade, njenih organov in nosilcev javnih pooblastil, da izročijo dokumentacijo, ki jo od njih zahteva komisija oziroma, da pričajo. Z vidika ustavnih načel in človekovih pravic je pomembno, da preiskava ostane znotraj meja, ki jih postavljajo načelo javnega pomena in javnega interesa, načelo delitve oblasti, načelo ustavnosti in zakonitosti ter načelo določnosti parlamentarne preiskave. Poleg teh ne smemo spregledati še načela učinkovitosti (in preprečevanje oviranja dela preiskovalne komisije), načela javnosti in spoštovanja posameznikovih ustavnih garancij.Parliament’s committees of inquiry are working bodies of parliament that work within the powers of parliament. The committee of inquiry is different from other working bodies because of its special powers, similar to those of courts in criminal procedures. Its functioning is governed by the Constitution, the Parliamentary Inquries Act and Rules of Procedure, the Criminal Procedure Act and Minor Offences Act are applied as appropriate. The inquiry is being held in the matters of public importance with an intent to determine facts that can be the basis for the parliament to make decisions about political accountability of the public function holders, about changing the law on a particular field and for other decisions within its constitutional powers. The process involves several stages. The inquiry committee has a range of powers for the evidentiary procedure, among which are: hearing of the person under investigation, hearing of the witness, ordering an expert, ordering a house or a personal search, seizure of items and ordering a viewing. The committee has to ask the court to take enforcement actions, if needed. There is also an important duty of the government, its bodies and public function holders, to hand over the documents needed by the committee and to attend hearings. In terms of constitutional principles and human rights it is important for the inquiry to stay withing the limits determined by the principle of public importance and public interest, the separation of powers, the principle of constitutionality and legality and the principle of certainty of the parliament inquiry. In addition we cannot forget about the principle of efficiency (and preventing work obstruction), the public principle and respecting individual constitutional guarantees