Skopje, 1 December 2021 (MIA) – Justice is not only about laws, political decisions and institutions. Justice requires change of awareness. Therefore, all of us – politicians, judges, prosecutors, public advocates – must agree on one thing, which is that justice must not be an item for trade. When a generation loses faith in justice, it loses faith in the country, said President Stevo Pendarovski at the observance of the 15th anniversary of the Academy for Judges and Public Prosecutors “Pavel Shatev” on Wednesday. President Pendarovski said the judiciary’s protection from potential political and economic influence requires not only independence from a formal aspect but also from a functional and financial one. “Investments are required in quality staff that performs the job in an impartial, professional and efficient way. The appointment and promotion of judges and prosecutors must be completely depoliticized and conducted through transparent procedures and objective criteria, based on a merit system. This is where the Academy comes in, because of its crucial role in the preparation and continued professional development of judges and prosecutors,” said Pendarovski in his remarks. Besides training, he added, the Academy also contributes to building a culture of resilience to corruption, political influence and abuse of offices. “The most important task of this institution is to select individuals having a moral compass, high personal and professional integrity and a feeling of responsibility, people who are fully committed to law and justice. The validity of their judgments will determine whether citizens believe that justice is possible. By restoring trust in the judiciary, you restore legal security and predictability, which are needed for the country’s future economic and social development,” said Pendarovski. The President noted that trust in the judiciary means a lot in the process of civil and national reconciliation. “Almost everyone in our divided society claims of being a victim of some kind of injustice and double standards, i.e. some are more equal than others. The rule of law and transparency by institutions are the only ways to correct the real injustice and refute unfounded claims,” said Pendarovski. According to him, only judgments based on facts and truth can strengthen the perception among citizens that there are no untouchables before the law. “Therefore, we must support the Academy in its mission to train and prepare generations of judges and prosecutors who will only be partial to justice. It is no coincidence that Lady Justice is blindfolded, not because it is indifferent to law violations but because it is impartial when delivering justice,” said Pendarovski. Over the past three decades, he added, the Macedonian judiciary has seen a number of professional judges and prosecutors. “However, public opinion polls have shown that people’s trust in the judicial system is currently at an exceptionally low level. This is confirmed in various reports by relevant national and international institutions. Many citizens have faced unjust rulings or delayed justice over the past 30 years. This legal uncertainty is one of the reasons why our citizens leave the country for places where laws are highly observed,” said Pendarovski. He highlighted a couple of factors according to their relevance for this situation. “The first is the political influence in the process of appointment and promotion of judges and prosecutors, while the second is corruption and crime, which in fact make equality before the law null and void. All of this erodes our hope for an effective justice, and hope is the thing that brings us closer to the developed world. If we want to keep our youth in the country, to live, work and create their future here, we must give them justice,” underlined President Pendarovski.