Despite criticism from the opposition, the Office of the General Prosecutor and the Supreme Court, coalition MPs passed an amendment to the Act on Prosecuting Authorities on Thursday, June 2, the TASR newswire reported.
The law change, which was drafted by Justice Minister Lucia Žitňanská but underwent a number of changes in parliament, attracted 76 votes. Despite the changes, the main focus of the amendment – to improve the transparency and openness of the prosecuting authorities by introducing open selection procedures for the appointment of prosecutors and by making the decisions of these authorities public – remains. The final version of the amendment differed from the original draft by narrowing the proposed powers granted to the justice minister related to the selection and disciplining of prosecutors.
With the exception of certain clauses, the amendment is due to take effect as of August 1, providing it is signed by President Ivan Gašparovič.
Source: TASR
Compiled by Zuzana Vilikovská from press reports
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