Filenews 8 July 2022 - by Michalis Hadjivassilis
After 25 sessions and debates that lasted three years, the House yesterday voted in favour of the bill that paves the way for justice reform at the highest level. In essence, the Constitution was amended to allow the separation of the Supreme Court and to come to the pre-1964 situation where the Supreme Constitutional Court and the Supreme Court existed.
With 51 votes in favour and one vote against, that of DIKO MP Christiana Erotokritou, the Parliament approved the bill "On the Seventeenth Amendment of the Constitution Law of 2022". The passing of the law is a prerequisite for the two other bills, which concern the establishment of the new Court of Appeal and the separation of the Supreme Court, to be put before the Plenary next Thursday.
The Parliament also voted unanimously for the topology of MP Panikos Leonidou on behalf of the parliamentary group of the Democratic Party, the MP Kostis Efstathiou on behalf of the Movement of Social Democrats EDEK, the MP Nikos Tornaritis on behalf of the parliamentary group of the Democratic Rally and the MP Aristos Damianos on behalf of the parliamentary group AKEL-Left-New Forces. The proposed amendment constitutionally introduces the possibility of exercising control over the merits of a case by the Administrative Court over any appeal, something that is already being exercised on tax and international protection issues under European Union law. An amendment by Mr Damianos was also passed unanimously to preserve the exclusive jurisdiction of the Supreme Court to issue warrants of the nature of habeas corpus, mandamus, prohibition, quo warranto and certiorari.
The passage of the bill was welcomed in a tweet by the President of the Republic, writing that "the passage by the Parliament of the bill that amends the Constitution, is a historical development. I thank those who have contributed. The ministers who worked out and tabled the bill. The chairman and the members of the Committee of Jurists who made a substantial contribution to its final form."
In a written statement, the Attorney General, George Savvides, described yesterday's day as historic, "since with the passage of the bill it becomes possible to implement the reform and modernize the structure and operation of the Cypriot courts". He says that the universal response shown today (yesterday) by all parliamentary parties in favour of the largest, in my opinion, reform made since the establishment of democracy in the field of Justice and in the system of its administration, allows me, in my capacity as the Attorney General as the largest institutional party in the courts, to be optimistic that in the same way the Plenary Session of the Parliament will proceed next Thursday by voting on the other two main reform bills.
Today is a great day for democracy and the citizens, the Parliament has risen to the occasion, the Minister of Justice and Public Order, Stefi Drakou, says in a written statement about the vote in favor of the constitutional amendment that provides for the creation of higher jurisdiction in our courts.
