ASSISTANT JUSTICE MINISTER PRESENTS BILL ON CHANGES TO LAW ON COURTS

ZAGREB, Dec 15 (Hina) - Ensuring the independence of the judiciary, increasing efficiency of courts and preventing unlegitimate encroaching on their work are the basic goals of changes to the Law on Courts, Assistant Justice Minister Ranko Marijan said at the House of Representatives on Friday. Presenting the bill to the MPs, Marijan said the document separated court and administrative functions, i.e. trials in a narrower sense and court administration and administrative jobs. The bill also completes the concept of judicial councils as the central bodies of court self-government which evaluate the performance of judges. The State Judicial Council (DSV) should take into account these evaluations when promoting judges. The DSV also has the power to appoint judges and relieve them of duties as well as initiate disciplinary proceedings against them. This will establish a system of objective evaluation of judges, based on expertise and objectivity, Marijan said. According to the bill, judicial councils would also appoint court presidents and since they would govern courts, the justice minister would be included in the appointment of court presidents. The bill gives the justice minister more responsibility in the government of courts and the judiciary would answer both to the authorities and citizens for failing to carry out its duties, he said. All parliamentary benches, including the Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ), supported the bill. The debate about the bill resumes in the afternoon. (hina) rml