Karas Hopes Supreme Court Will Gain Expert Authority with Mozner's Appointment

Bratislava 21 May (TASR) - Christian Democratic Movement (KDH) vice-chair Viliam Karas has congratulated Frantisek Mozner on his appointment on Wednesday as chair of the Supreme Court by President Peter Pellegrini and expressed his hope that in Mozner the Supreme Court is gaining more expert authority, TASR learnt on the same day. Karas described Mozner as a respected expert authority with the moral credibility and qualifications to successfully build on past efforts and further strengthen the professionalism, efficiency and the authority of the court as well as public trust in justice. "I wish him strength and courage, especially in resisting political pressure and maintaining the independence of the judiciary, which is a fundamental foundation of the rule of law," said Karas. He also thanked outgoing chair of the Supreme Court Jan Sikuta for taking on the role during a time of exceptional challenges. "It was a period in which the judiciary faced perhaps the greatest crisis of trust in the era of independence, marked by the uncovering of serious corruption scandals involving judges. As court chair, he strove to stabilize the situation in the Supreme Court, bring about a positive change in the atmosphere within the judiciary and raise the quality of the way in which the court functioned," said Karas. mf/df