Restoring trust in rule of law could be made possible only through efficient judiciary and public prosecution. As a result of the implementation of the judiciary reform strategy that also addresses the recommendations stemming from the urgent reform priorities, from the Venice Commission, and the Priebe Report, the European Commission has noted a solid progress in the country’s judiciary.
“However, the report also noted that it is necessary high-level corruption and organized crime cases, including those opened by the former SPO, to be closed,” Justice Minister Bojan Marichikj said Wednesday.
He presented the methodology on evaluating the work of judicial bodies at a news conference alongside the Chief Public Prosecutor Ljubomir Joveski, and Judicial Council President Kiro Zdravev.
Several cases, including the SPO’s cases, have been delayed oftentimes, while others experiences the statute of limitations going into effect, according to Marichikj. “Thus, the European Commission recommends that in the coming period the focus should remain on consistent implementation of the strategy to reform the judiciary and the updated action plan, and implementation of the legal framework by key stakeholders so as to improve confidence into the judicial system,” the Minister stated.
Recently, the Judicial Council has adopted several key documents regulating the evaluation and inspection of the work of the judges, considered as vital to strengthening transparency, responsibility and ethics of judges and prosecutors. The Public Prosecutor’s Office has also adopted an evaluation rulebook, which is considered by Minister Marichikj as being ‘the foundation for enhanced accountability in line with the Public Prosecution Law.’
The government, including the Justice Ministry, Marichikj said, deems the process of great importance, hoping it will contribute to restoring public trust in the judiciary.
“We don’t want to, in any way, exert pressure or influence the courts and prosecution offices, but it is our duty to take care of and closely monitor the process, which will result in a reformed, transparent, efficient judiciary, freed from any form of pressure. We owe it to the citizens,” he told the news conference.
Chief Public Prosecutor Ljubomir Joveski said that in the rulebook on evaluating the work of public prosecutors legal foundations were further incorporated, adding that public prosecutors would be evaluated for their professionalism, legal remedies, efficiency, unbiased conduct, diligence, etc.
The new series of evaluations will enter into force as of Jan. 1, 2021 and will be done every four years. However, Joveski said, public prosecutors will be also evaluated based on six-month reports.
He pledged that the Public Prosecutor’s Office in the coming period would focus more on the evaluation process so as to contribute to the prosecutors increasing their accountability and work efficiency.
The law on courts was amended in 2019 and the law on the Judicial Council was adopted the same year as part of the strategy for reforms in the judicial sector.
Earlier this month, the Judicial Council adopted a methodology to assess the work of judges based on qualitative criteria.
“The methodology defines the indicators for effective monitoring of the level of fulfilment of the qualitative criteria to evaluate the work of judges,” Judicial Council President Zdravev said.
Judges will be evaluated for how successfully they have been conducting a court procedure. Ten cases of the same judge in the reporting period will be picked for inspection.
Also, the presidents of courts will also undergo evaluation of their work under a methodology, adopted by the Judicial Council.
