Litvinenco: Venice Commission Greenlights the Supreme Court of Justice Reform

Justice Minister Sergiu Litvinenco believes the Venice Commission (VC) has given “the green light for the Supreme Court of Justice (SCJ) reform.” He posted on Facebook Tuesday, commenting on the VC conclusion that the SCJ reform could be launched after the new Superior Council of Magistrates (SCM) is formed, infotag.md reports. “The SCJ reform is the second step in the process of cleaning up the judiciary after the SCM, which is underway now. Before considering the draft, it should be made clear that the SCM is the only instance to pronounce on the consequences of the evaluation of judges. In other words, all decisions on their admission or dismissal will be taken by the SCM,” Litvinenco said. The minister believes that “the procedures relating to the reassignment of sitting SCJ judges to a lower court by certification” should be revised. “The VC emphasizes that an evaluation such as the one proposed in the bill is an extraordinary and rarely used mechanism, applicable only in situations of serious need in the justice system. This is the case in Moldova today,” Litvinenco noted, stressing that the draft will be finalized in the near future in line with the conclusion of the Venice Commission. Point