Skopje, 3 November 2023 (MIA) – Political interference is present in the judiciary in our country, and it has already been identified as an issue that violates its independence. It is a fact that the constitutional principle of separation of powers is not being respected. There are cases of attempts for direct interference in order to realize agendas which aren’t correlated to the rule of law and the powers of the judiciary. However, we, as the Supreme Court, and as the highest court in the country, don’t allow and mustn’t allow such attempts to violate the independence of the judiciary, and consequently harm its reputation, i.e., the reputation and authority of the Supreme Court, said Supreme Court President Besa Ademi, in an interview for SDK.mk.

In the interview, Ademi pointed to the importance of the personal integrity and judicial culture of each judge, as well as the solidarity between judges, because, she said, “they send a message to those exerting pressure and to the public that the judiciary will stand by its fundamental values”.

Regarding the recent visit of U.S. Ambassador Angela Aggeler to the Supreme Court, Ademi said “the United States and the Ambassador are friends to the judiciary, and her visit,” she said, “was in that direction as well”.

“The Ambassador met with me, with the Deputy President and with all judges of the Supreme Court in order to provide support and note the fact that the judges at the Court must be consistent in their adherence to the Constitution and legislation, and that we mustn’t deviate from these values,” said Ademi.

Asked about what the political pressure looks like, Ademi said politics always has the potential to use its influences in various ways.

“Realistically, the threat of dismissing judges of the Supreme Court is always present, and even the practice of using fake news to that end. That’s why the Judicial Council should be a protector of the judiciary,” said Ademi.

The President of the Supreme Court noted that the Supreme Court was bypassed during the adoption of the amendments to the Criminal Code, even though, the Justice Ministry, in accordance with the Law on Courts, is legally obliged to consult a general session of the Supreme Court over legislation that concerns the judiciary.

Photo: MIA Archive