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Zitnanska Wants Changes in Judicial Council Architecture
Tuesday 27 July 2010 Zoom in | Print page
Bratislava, July 27 (TASR) - Sessions of the Judicial Council should be made public, and the decisions it makes should be reasoned. Also, chairmen and vice-chairmen of courts shouldn't be allowed to become members of the council according to a new bill on Judicial Council drafted by Justice Minister Lucia Zitnanska.
"Our aim is to clear an open space for independent justice. Only an independent judiciary will make ensure that decisions are independent too," said Zitnanska. "We want to do this step by step, little by little ... it's not the kind of task that can be carried out over one year, it may even take more than one election term," added the minister.
"What has to be done first of all is to take away power from the hands of those whom it doesn't belong to, including the Justice Ministry, of course," said Zitnanska, adding that the power should be in the hands of judges when it comes to decision-making in individual cases; while as for the supervision over the justice, the power must be in the hands of the public.
Exminister of justice, currently the Judicial Council chairman and the Supreme Court chairman, Stefan Harabin said in response that Zitnanska's legislative initiative is targeted at taking political control over the justice system, and tries to dictate who can do what in the justice system.
"It's a purpose-built proposal aimed at tearing down the rule of law," he said, adding that several cardinal legislative lapses have converged in the drafted proposal, including features of anti-constitutionality and retroactivity.
"The proposal wants to introduce some nonsense that is virtually the same as an initiative to dismiss President Ivan Gasparovic, who was elected directly by citizens, based on the fact that he's a lawyer by profession," argues Harabin.
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