Situation during visit (See: E/CN.4/2006/6/Add.3) Steps taken in previous years (See: A/HRC/4/33/Add.2 and A/HRC/7/3/Add.2) Information received on steps taken since December 2007/current situation Public forensic medical services should not have a monopoly on expert forensic evidence for judicial purposes (e) • • public law, rather than an institutional part of the Ministry of Justice. The President of Georgia shall appoint the head of the National Bureau, who shall present the statute of the National Bureau to the Government for approval. Forensic expertise has never been free of charge for any eligible institution or party (including public authorities). Prior to the adoption of the new law, the fees were determined by governmental decree. The new Law explicitly provides that the fees for the forensic expertise shall be defined by governmental decree, thus the law neither alters nor changes the procedures regarding the fees. In addition, as a legal entity of public law, the National Bureau is entitled to carry out remunerated activities as noted in its statute. Non-governmental sources 2008: Up until the present time the NBFE has been a legal entity under the Ministry of Justice which is also in charge of prisons. However, in connection with the planned changes of merging the Prosecutor General’s Office with the Ministry of Justice, a draft law has been elaborated which envisages that the National Forensic service will be a legal entity separate from executive A/HRC/10/44/Add.5 page 26 Recommendations (E/CN.4/2006/6/Add.3)