Filenews 18 January 2022
The final completion of the reform project now falls under the exclusive competence of the House of Representatives, the Supreme Court's President, Persephone Panayi, said today, stating again that any further delay will lead to the collapse of the judiciary, with pernicious consequences for the rule of law by extension.
In a written statement, after today's meeting at the Presidential Palace, on the reform of the judiciary and on the pending bills for the fight against corruption, with the participation of all stakeholders and the leaders and representatives of the parliamentary parties, Ms. Panagi says that the said Reform Bills of Justice "took their current form, after lengthy discussions of all parties involved", noting that "a key issue of consultation was the composition of the Supreme Judicial Council, an issue on which the Supreme Court had raised strong reservations, in light of the considerations set out in the fundamental Article 157 of the Constitution".
It also notes that "in a previous announcement of the Supreme Court, the differentiation of the positions of the Cyprus Bar Association on this crucial issue was a development in the right direction '... and allows the immediate promotion of the reform already overdue.'"
"Similarly, the convergence of positions on the form that the Advisory Council is expected to take is an additional positive element towards a favourable outcome of the Reform under discussion," the Supreme President states.
It also adds, in order to complete the picture, that "the different approaches, expressed from time to time among the Members of the Supreme Court, with regard to the division into the Supreme Court and the Supreme Constitutional Court (approaches that are fully respected and always expected in the context of a fruitful dialogue on such a serious issue), constitute their views, in relation to the necessity of such separation, and not a position on the constitutional dimension of the issue."
In addition, it states that the Supreme Court - as in a previous statement - stresses that "with the very credibility of our judicial system at stake, the intended Reform is emerging as an absolute necessity", especially as it adds "with a view to adjudicating delayed cases at all levels and not repeating the same phenomenon".
It reiterates that "any further delay will lead to the collapse of the judiciary, with pernicious, by extension, consequences for the rule of law".
Finally, it expresses the supreme court's deep anxiety about the current state of affairs, while again noting that "the final completion of the reform work now falls within the exclusive competence of the House of Representatives".
CNA
