Skopje, 30 August 2023 (MIA) - The Justice Minister's attendance during sessions, without the right to vote, does not affect the Judicial Council's legal operations and decision-making process, Minister of Justice Krenar Lloga said in a written statement on Wednesday after it came out that as an ex officio member he has not provided reasons for repeated absences from the council's sessions.

The statement reads that in the past few years, several justice ministers did not attend sessions due to a recommendation by the Group of States against Corruption (GRECO) on abolishing ex officio membership in the Judicial Council.

"Immediately after taking the office of minister, I notified the Judicial Council and requested that GRECO's recommendation be respected and that this provision be omitted from the Constitution, otherwise I said that I would attend all sessions to which I have the right as an ex officio member according to the Constitution," Lloga said.

His statement adds that he had asked the council to clearly define the sessions and inform him about those he is allowed to attend.

"As stated in the law, ex officio council members are not to attend sessions discussing or deciding on proceedings conducted to establish liability, election or dismissal of a judge or president of a court. Given that recently there have been a number of irregularities in the council's work, damaging the credibility of its members and losing public trust, in addition to EU's peer review mission conducting research on the Judicial Council, after a series of scandals and turmoil, I decided not to attend sessions just like my predecessors did," the statement reads.

During today's council session, it was pointed out that Minister of Justice Krenar Lloga and Supreme Court President Besa Ademi, ex officio members of the Judicial Council, although duly invited, did not inform the Judicial Council about their absence. ssh/nn/