Skopje, 18 September 2024 (MIA) - It is impermissible to adopt legal amendments that are indirectly or directly related to the judiciary, as was the case with the Criminal Code, without hearing the opinion of the judges, since not only does that lead to a lack of transparency in the process, but also unwanted repercussions in regard to the rule of law, said the President of the Supreme Court, Besa Ademi, at a presentation Wednesday of recommendations and an action plan for improving the situation in judiciary organized by the All 4 Fair Trials coalition and funded by the United States Embassy.

In her address, Ademi highlighted the need to listen to the opinions and proposals of the judges, stressing that “the issues can’t be solved by imposing or accepting silence, on the contrary, the arguments of the judges with integrity and conviction are loud and clear enough to note the situations that block the ideas and processes”.

The Supreme Court President also touched upon the importance of autonomy and a higher judicial budget, i.e., ensuring that the budget of the judges and prosecutors doesn’t depend on previously received approvals by bodies from the executive branch. She stressed that it is indisputable that the judiciary is financially dependent on the other branches of power.

Ademi touched upon the deficit of judges and members of the judicial administration. “Human resources,” she added, “are the pillar of the functionality and a guarantee that the goals of the judiciary outlined with the Constitution and the Law on Courts will be fulfilled in line with the principles of an independent, efficient and accountable judiciary”.

The event was also addressed by the U.S. Ambassador in the country, Angela Aggeler, who stressed the need for reforms and greater transparency in the judiciary.  

“One of the simplest ways to restore the trust in the judiciary is to ensure greater transparency in judicial procedures. These recommendations should be a call for action and a plan, and not just a document that will be signed and archived. All justice ministers, MPs, representatives of the nongovernmental sector, even the diplomats, together with the judges and public prosecutors must do everything for these recommendations to be realized so that there is a real and lasting reform of the judiciary,” Aggeler stressed.

The recommendations and the action plan for improving the situation in the judiciary were drafted as part of a project on improving stakeholder participation in the judiciary reform process. The recommendations and the action plan were developed after consultations with judges and public prosecutors, who highlighted the aspects of the functioning of the judicial system.

"We started a process through which we wanted to provide a platform where judges and public prosecutors could coordinate with each other, agree on a common position regarding those important problems and issues they consider essential, and offer recommendations related to the executive, legislative, and judicial power of judges and public prosecutors themselves, aimed at improving the efficiency and speed of criminal proceedings and the rule of law. Especially those criminal procedures which the public often follows and through which they get information about the work of the courts," said All 4 Fair Trials Executive Director, Darko Avramovski. 

Photo: MIA