Prime Minister Robert Fico and Justice Minister Tomáš Borec have proposed for public debate a series of potential changes to the work of judges. Their implementation would also require some constitutional changes, and thus they want to debate them with both the opposition and “people from the field”.
The biggest such changes are the division of the posts of Supreme Court chairman and head of the Judicial Council. Currently, both positions are held by one person, Štefan Harabin. One proposal also requires a security screening process for all 1,400 Slovak judges. Fico did not exclude also personnel changes in the Judicial Council.
“But this requires also an agreement with the opposition,” Fico said at a press conference, quoted by the TASR newswire. “I cannot believe we would not find a consensus.”
Fico said the goal of the changes is to “clean” the judiciary and divide judges who work in compliance with the law from those who “don’t belong into the judicial system”.
Borec prepared also a series of additional measures that, on one hand, increase the authority and powers of chairman of individual courts, but – on the other hand – also boost their responsibilities. The changes should also involve a home office, conditions for regular bonuses, the conditions for sick leave and also increase the direct responsibility of a judge for the damage caused out of subjective reasoning.
For example, if the European Court of Human Rights, or the Slovak Constitutional Court find that there is procrastination in the case, part of the damage should be ascribed to the judge and they should be held financially responsible.
(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.
