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GREATER LIABILITY OF JUDGES AND PROSECUTORS

14.01.2013.

Minister of Justice and Public Administration Nikola Selaković has met today with European Parliament Rapporteur for Serbia Mr. Jelko Kacin. The main topic of the meeting was the results of the Ministry’s activities so far, as well as the plans for the future, which greatly influence Serbia’s European path.

Minister Selakovic informed Mr. Kacin on his recent visit to Brussels and the meeting with the European Commissioner for Justice Viviane Reding, who supported the reform process being executed by the Ministry of Justice and Public Administration during the past seven months.

In his talks with Mr. Kacin, Minister Selaković pointed out that the Ministry was in charge of producing three national strategies – judicial reform, fight against corruption, and public administration reform, which are all of great importance for the European integration process. The working document of the Fight against Corruption Strategy and the Judicial Reform Strategy will be proposed as a bill to the parliament in March, the Minister pointed out. Selaković informed Kacin that the Ministry had had quite intensive legislative activities recently, and that in March, a set of very important laws will be presented before the National Assembly, the majority of which directly influence the formation of a new network of basic courts.

Mr. Kacin supported the activities of the Ministry, but also stated that the judiciary system in Serbia was burdened with numerous problems that should be resolved systematically. He especially pointed out that the judicial office holders must be liable for their actions if they did not obey the law or did not act in accordance with the relevant facts and evidence in the proceedings. 

Concerning this, Minister Selaković stated that one of the priorities was passing the Decree on the Disciplinary Liability of Judges and Prosecutors, forming the Disciplinary Commission, as well as strengthening the role of the Disciplinary Prosecutor. “The amendments to the Law on Judges and the Law on Public Prosecution extend the time limitation for the cases against judges and public prosecutors before the Supreme Court of Cassation and the State Prosecutorial Council, and increase the penalties for their illegal actions, since the one conducting a trial must be held liable equally as the one standing a trial. We need judges and prosecutors who will be afraid of the law and other judges and prosecutors, and not the authorities, as has been the case many times before”, Selaković concluded.