THE PRESIDENT of Slovakia’s Judicial Council, Štefan Harabin, wants the European Network of Councils for the Judiciary (ENCJ) to send observers to Slovakia to monitor the election of new judicial council members that are expected to be held in May or June 2012. Harabin made the request during a February 9 meeting with the newly-elected president of the ENCJ, Miguel Carmona Ruano.
Harabin stated that his request was based on the “absolutely non-standard and enormous pressure of political power in overruling the judiciary,” as quoted by the SITA newswire. He also stated that the government had recently removed three members of the Judicial Council in violation of the constitution.
Carmona said Harabin’s request will be passed on to the governing body of the ECNJ, SITA wrote.
Carmona also met Justice Minister Lucia Žitňanská during his one-day visit to Bratislava.
