Kiska Swears in 18 New Judges for Indefinite Period

Bratislava, April 24 (TASR) – Slovak President Andrej Kiska on Monday appointed 18 judges for an indefinite period based on a proposal of the Judicial Council, TASR learnt on the same day.

“Your decisions will influence whether or not our society’s trust in the rule of law will improve,” said Kiska in his speech, adding that the newly appointed judges will be able to boost people’s trust in justice and equality before the law.

“I wish you a professionally valuable and personally successful career in the courts where you will work,” he added.

The Slovak head of state further pointed to the European Commission’s latest evaluation of the Slovak judiciary. “According to this, Slovakia has the least independent courts among all EU countries. We’re among the member states with the longest duration of civil and commercial disputes,” said the president, adding that according to the EC, the main source of people’s mistrust is pressure on the courts on the part of the Government and politicians.

The ceremony took place in Bratislava, with Justice Minister Lucia Zitnanska (Most-Hid) and Judicial Council chair Jana Bajankova in attendance.