On Tuesday, 4 February, the Chair of the Judicial Council and the President of the Supreme Court, Aigars Strupišs, met with the President of Latvia, Edgars Rinkēvičs, to discuss current issues concerning the judiciary and the work of the Judicial Council.
In his meeting with the President, A. Strupišs emphasized that since assuming the office of the President of the Supreme Court, one of the main strategic objectives has been to strengthen the independence of the judiciary. This includes taking over the administrative support functions of the judicial system from the executive and transferring them to the judiciary. The Judicial Council has reached a conceptual agreement with the Ministry of Justice on the transfer of these functions and is actively working on the implementation of the transition through amendments to the law “On Judicial Power”. A. Strupišs pointed out that it has been particularly important to ensure that the autonomy and independence of the Supreme Court would be preserved.
When discussing the lines of action of the Judicial Council, A. Strupišs reported that a solid basis for the further modern development of the judicial system had been established, based on planning, statistics and forecasts. One of the most important measures to improve the quality of the judicial system has been the improvement of the selection procedure of judges. The introduction of the new selection procedure and stricter evaluation criteria ensures that the judiciary is provided with highly qualified lawyers and that the most suitable candidates are appointed to judicial posts.
At the same time, A. Strupišs pointed out that the problems with legal education remain one of the main factors hindering the renewal of human resources in the judicial system. This year, the Judicial Council also plans to address the shortage of staff in the judicial system, hoping to attract new specialists with legal qualifications. Job standards and remuneration will be improved to ensure an attractive work environment. In addition, the Judicial Council plans to strengthen the role of the Academy of Justice in implementing a sustainable and efficient training system, ensuring quality in the performance of judicial and prosecutorial functions.
A. Strupišs also informed the President of Latvia about the compilation of case-law developed by the Supreme Court on the determination of penalty for offences against national security, as well as about the progress of the competition for the post of Prosecutor General.