Skopje, 3 February 2025 (MIA) - Minister of Justice Igor Filkov said Monday he has decided to dismiss from membership in the working group on amendments to the Criminal Code a judge who had previously tried the drunk driver who killed 22-year-old Frosina Kulakova, noting that this is in order not to discredit the process that is under way for necessary substantive reforms in the judiciary which are not to allow impunity. 

"Today I am addressing you not as Minister of Justice, but as a citizen and a parent. I call on the courts of all instances and the Judicial Council to take action to review the entire case of the untimely death of Frosina. In addition, today I have made a decision to dismiss from membership in the working group at the Ministry of Justice the judge whose name is causing a stir in the public. The judge was part of the working group set up in December 2020 for amendments to the Criminal Code, and was part of the optimized working group on swift amendments to the Criminal Code that was to eliminate the harmful consequences caused by the 2023 amendments. I am doing this in order not to discredit the process that is under way for the necessary substantive reforms in the judiciary. I raise concern because I believe that it is high time for the competent institutions to show that they are ready to take measures in order to identify perpetrators and possible responsibility. Responsibility must be established, and there is no compromise here. Citizens expect justice, and institutions are obliged to deliver it quickly, fairly and transparently," Filkov told a press conference on Monday. 

This case, he added, only reaffirms the findings in the recent survey on the performance of courts, which showed that case processing time and corruption were detected as the biggest problem of the judiciary, having the lowest rating.

"Failure to act as well as delay in case processing time open a possibility of seeing the same or similar cases again. I urge all political stakeholders in the country not to try to abuse this unfortunate case for political purposes. The judicial system must be fundamentally changed, from the outside, as well as from the inside. I will not allow impunity," said Filkov. 

In response to a reporter's question, he said that in dismissing the judge, he does not lay responsibility on her for the verdicts she has made, but instead it is a matter of optimizing the working groups so that a draft law can come out as soon as possible. He maintains his position that he will not interfere in the work of the Judicial Council and therefore, he noted that he appeals to Judicial Council members to do their job. 

Photo: Ministry of Justice