The Slovak cabinet at its session on Monday, September 13, said no to the nomination of three ad hoc judges selected and submitted by the Judicial Council to represent Slovakia at the European Court of Justice (ECJ) in Strasbourg, the TASR newswire reported.
The trio of female judges – Eva Styková, Jana Baricová and Jana Zemková – was okayed by the Judicial Council on June 15 and it was the Council's head and former Justice Minister Štefan Harabin who presented the three names to the cabinet.
Interior Minister Daniel Lipšic, who was Justice Minister 2002-06 and who has always been a strong adversary of Harabin, claims that the nominations were rejected because all three judges have pressed charges against the state alleging discrimination in connection with the amount of their salaries – with each of them now claiming more than 100,000 euros in compensation. The claim stems from a Constitutional Court ruling on pay difference between judges of the Special (now Specialised) Court and other judges who feel justified to claim retroactive pay.
"I find it not only unlawful, but also immoral. That's why I believe they are in no position to represent Slovakia," Lipšic told the TASR newswire. Harabin commented that the dismissal of the trio was "just another bad message" sent to Slovakia's partners in European structures.
Source: TASR
Compiled by Zuzana Vilikovská from press reports
The Slovak Spectator cannot vouch for the accuracy of the information presented in its Flash News postings.
14. Sep 2010 at 10:00
