Judicial Council: Presumption of Innocence Not Respected in Operation Storm

Bratislava, 14 August (TASR) - By information provided via the media about criminal proceedings related to Operation Storm, during which several judges were detained, the presumption of innocence of suspected or accused people, as well as their right to privacy, were not respected, according to a resolution adopted by the Judicial Council on Wednesday (13 August). Its chairperson Marcela Kosova pointed out that, to date, none of the judges detained at the time has been fully convicted. "Denying or casting doubt on the fundamental rights of the accused – be it by the chairperson of the Judicial Council and its members, or by the justice minister and other public officials – is an expression of how the principles of the rule of law were abandoned and how the credibility and authority of the judiciary were unjustifiably undermined," reads the resolution. According to Kosova, the reason why this item was included in the resolution is that the detained judges were condemned by many journalists, officials or the public on the day on which they were detained. In this connection, she criticised former chair of the Judicial Council Jan Mazak for his reference to the Augean stables, and contended that the media aren't currently providing information about how many judges have been acquitted. She also ruled out the notion that the criminal prosecutions involving these judges constituted a purge of the judiciary. Vice-chair of the Judicial Council Ayse Pruzinec Eren said that the case involved "targeted lynching". Even among judges there were some who did not respect the presumption of innocence, she said. Adrian Kucek, a member of the Judicial Council, said that the vast majority of criminal proceedings were based on the testimony of a single witness accompanied by massive information leaks from the investigative bodies. Another member of the Judicial Council, Marian Fecik, said that the criminal prosecutions of the judges also involved unfounded disciplinary proceedings. jrg/df/ko