BRATISLAVA, January 9, (WEBNOVINY) — The Judicial Council wants to vote on new Supreme Court vice president again. This point is included in the program of the next session of the council that will take place on January 17. The candidate for this position is still Supreme Court judge Igor Burger whose candidacy should have been decided already in August 2011 at the Judicial Council meeting in Omsenie. However, Burger injured himself before the session. He reportedly stepped on a nail and the vote „had to be postponed.“
The Judicial Council tried several times to choose a new Supreme Court vice president, however, unsuccessfully. The Supreme Court has been without its vice president since May 30, 2010 when Daniela Svecova’s term expired. She led the Supreme Court as deputy head for a period of time, when the president had not been elected. Before the end of her term in office, she ran for the post of the candidate for the vice president for the following period; however, the Judicial Council did not elect her. Peter Paluda, one of the vocal critics of ex-justice minister Harabin whom the Judicial Council elected Supreme Court vice president, also wanted to run for the vacant post. However, both of them ultimately withdrew their candidacies. In another round of the vote Svecova asked for postponement of the election as she was temporary disabled due to illness. At that that time Paluda did not submit all necessary documents and did not provide the council his written consent that he agreed with the candidacy.
At its last session held on December 21, 2011 the Judicial Council again did not vote on new Supreme Court vice president. Council member Ludmila Babjakova objected to the fact that despite the vote being on the agenda of the session, the Judicial Council did not approve it for discussion. According to Babjakova, until that time the Judicial Council had not been able to schedule a discussion on the issue so that the vote on proposed candidate Igor Burger could take place. Council member Juraj Sopoliga said that it would not be fair to the other Judicial Council members if the election had taken place when only thirteen out of eighteen of them were present.
Justice Minister Lucia Zitnanska (SDKU-DS) has filed three proposals for disciplinary action against Supreme Court President Stefan Harabin at the Constitutional Court . Harabin was already once found guilty of committing a serious disciplinary transgression based on the first motion of Zitnanska from November 2010. At that time, the Constitutional Court decided to punish Harabin with 70-percent reduction of his salary for a year for his failure to allow an audit of the Supreme Court by the Finance Ministry. Later that month, the minister also lodged a second motion against Harabin because she was convinced that he seriously violated the duty of a judicial official, which seriously compromises the trustworthiness of the judiciary in connection with changes in the work schedule at the Supreme Court, disrespecting the principle of random assignment of cases to individual judges. Zitnanska wants Harabin to lose the right to wear the judge’s gown for life and proposes as well that the Constitutional Court decides on his temporary suspension from the Supreme Court top position.
SITA