Justice Ministry Rejects SaS Claims Over Judicial Reform

Bratislava, 13 August (TASR) - The judicial reform draft prepared by the Justice Ministry does not close off the judiciary but preserves open access to judicial office, the ministry's press department told TASR on Thursday in response to claims by SaS that the ministry's proposals would restrict the open entry of high-quality lawyers into the judiciary, weaken the objective assessment of judges and make it more difficult to remove members of the Judicial Council. The ministry described the SaS statements as untrue, saying they do not correspond to the content of the proposed legislation. "The draft legislation does not close off the judiciary but preserves open access to judicial office. Any lawyer who meets the statutory requirements will continue to be able to apply for a judicial position, with systematic professional training directly at a court serving as the standard route," said the press department. According to the ministry, a judicial trainee can be not only a law graduate but also a lawyer, prosecutor, notary, senior court clerk or another practising lawyer. The decisive factor will be successful completion of a public selection procedure, while recognised professional examinations will not have to be repeated. "The Justice Ministry is convinced that serving as a judge requires more than a legal education or professional examination. A future judge must understand how a court operates, how hearings are conducted, the decision-making process and the particular responsibility attached to the position," the ministry added. It also rejected the claim that the proposals would abolish open selection procedures. "If a vacant judicial position cannot be filled by a judicial trainee, it will continue to be filled through an open selection procedure, which lawyers from outside the judiciary will also be able to enter," the press department explained. The proposal thus wouldn't create a monopoly for judicial trainees, but establish their training as the standard method of building the body of judges. Opposition party SaS has criticised the proposed changes to the judiciary put forward by Justice Minister Boris Susko (Smer-SD). The party considers the restoration of the judicial trainee system and the gradual closure of the career path to judicial office to be the proposal's biggest problem. Because of this, SaS vice-chair Maria Kolikova has called on the minister to withdraw the proposals. mf