Justice Minister Stefan Harabin (a LS-HZDS nominee) intends to restore seven out of ten district courts scrapped by former minister Daniel Lipšic (the Christian Democrats/KDH) in 2004, the Hospodarské Noviny daily reported on August 2.
"It's vitally important in order to reduce the number of long-drawn out disputes in courts," Harabin said.
The minister's plan, estimated to cost Sk270 million (€8 million) over the next three years, is subject to Government approval. Harabin claims to enjoy the support of other members of the Cabinet for his plan, which he says will reduce judicial backlog.
Official statistics, however, show that four out of six regions where courts were closed have seen the time needed to decide on cases shortened.
Compiled by Zuzana Vilikovská from press reports
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