Slovakia’s Judicial Council, which nominates judges for appointment by the president has accused Justice Minister Lucia Žitňanská of breaching the Judges Act by moving to put a halt to current selection procedures without its consent.
Žitňanská said on Monday, July 19, that she plans to change the way in which judges are selected by introducing open competition in order to put a stop to what she called the shady and dubious way in which judges’ posts are assigned.
According to the council, reacting yesterday, the minister’s decision will slow down trials at district courts in Poprad, Stará Ľubovňa, Prešov and Piešťany and at regional courts in Bratislava, Nitra and Trenčín, placing an extra burden on judges, and meaning that ordinary citizens may not receive timely protection from the courts. The council is also protesting at what it says are unfounded allegations of non-transparency in selection procedures. It says these were announced in line with the law and with applicants who were entitled to be put forward. “None of the hundreds of applicants have complained about the objectivity of procedures,” the council wrote in a statement quoted by the TASR newswire.
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.
