BRATISLAVA, October 27, (WEBNOVINY) — Justice Minister Lucia Zitnanska (SDKU-DS) and President of the Supreme Court and Judicial Council Stefan Harabin (LS-HZDS) have both criticized the Slovak Parliament for not electing candidates for disciplinary judges. Harabin called it a bad signal for the public; Zitnanska was also unpleasantly surprised by the outcome of the vote.
“If the disciplinary senates stop working, the public’s trust in courts can significantly go down. There will be no possibility for a judge to be punished, for example for drink-driving or not paying alimony,“ stated the previous Justice Minister Harabin. “How do they expect to change the public’s perception of the judiciary and improve its state, when they are unable or not willing to fulfill their obligation and elect candidates for members of disciplinary senates? Not electing candidates can ultimately result in disciplinary senates failing to function. That is why I believe that deputies will realize their responsibility so that this state does not last long,“ stated Zitnanska.
The Justice Minister pointed out that disciplinary senates are an important part of the judiciary, as their task is to hold judges responsible when they do not fulfill or violate their duties, including violation of their obligation to make impartial decisions, if they cause protracted legal proceedings or when they are unable to document source of substantial increases of their possessions. According to a draft bill on judges, which is currently in parliament, the disciplinary senates will have also the power to decide on preliminary suspension of judges,” Zitnanska added. In her opinion, the senates are important not only in their relation to judges but the public as well, as people expect that someone will hold judges, who violate their obligations, accountable.
In repeated secret ballot, the Slovak Parliament elected only one candidate for a judge of the disciplinary senate. Viliam Pohancenik, nominated by the head of MOST-HID deputy faction Laszlo Solymos got 112 out of 121 valid votes. None of the other twenty candidates got simple majority of the votes. The new election of candidates for judges of the disciplinary senate will take place at the next parliamentary session which starts on November 3. All proposed candidates who were not elected advance to the next vote.
SITA