VIA IURIS judicial watchdog conducted a monitoring and analysis exercise last year in which it found that as many as 30 percent of newly-appointed judges have close family ties with incumbent judges or court employees.
The organisation is convinced that systemic changes in the selection of new judges could prevent nepotism. Justice Minister Tomáš Borec could contribute to this easily and quickly enough by appointing non-judges as members of commissions in charge of selecting new judges, the TASR newswire quoted from the organisation’s press release.
“The analysis that’s been drawn up contains recommendations on changes in the selection procedures for judges,” Kristína Babiaková, a lawyer working with Via Iuris, said on July 22. “These recommendations include changes in the composition of the selection commission, determining specific criteria for the choice of a selection commission and the Judicial Council alike, and the introduction of balance in the written and oral parts of the selection procedure. These and other measures that are set forth in detail in the analysis would to a great extent remove doubts regarding objectivity in the selection of judges.”
Via Iuris “ignores the recent ruling of the Constitutional Court which deemed part of the rules for tenders adopted in 2011 unconstitutional,” Justice Ministry spokeswoman Alexandra Donevová said. “It would not be good to apply these rules; and thus no change of candidates for members of selection committees would be appropriate.”
(Source: TASR)
Compiled by Zuzana Vilikovská from press reports
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