'For Open Justice' Considers Premier's Statements on Hrubala to Be Unacceptable

Bratislava, February 18 (TASR) - The 'For Open Justice' (ZOJ) judicial initiative considers Prime Minister Robert Fico's (Smer-SD) statements about Judge Jan Hrubala to be unacceptable, the association's spokeswoman Katarina Javorcikova told TASR on Wednesday, adding that the premier's public personal attacks on Hrubala are dangerous for the rule of law. "According to media reports, the prime minister linked the judge to personal incidents and questioned his integrity the day after the verdict was announced in the Toll Collector case, in which J.B. [name abbreviated due to legal reasons] and other defendants were convicted. In a democratic state, court decisions are evaluated by legal means, not through political pressure statements and the discrediting of specific judges," stated the association. Criticism of decisions, according to ZOJ, can be factual and legitimate. "However, personal attacks on a judge by the highest representative of the executive branch cross the line of political debate. They create the impression that the judge should be 'punished' for ruling on sensitive cases, thereby undermining public confidence in the impartiality and independence of the courts," it stated. After the government meeting on Wednesday, the prime minister commented on the ruling of the Specialised Criminal Court in the Toll Collector case, which concerns overpriced IT tenders at Financial Administration between 2013-2018, pointing out that the ruling isn't yet final. At the same time, he criticised the senate chair, Judge Hrubala, who was behind the ruling in the case. am/df