The Minister of Justice, Igor Filkov, at today's press conference, addressed the current situation in the judiciary and the Ministry of Justice's approach to determining the factual situation on the ground and taking specific measures.
"In the past period, the public has witnessed events and cases that have further heightened concerns about the integrity, responsibility and functioning of the judiciary and the prosecution. Such phenomena must not be relativized or ignored.
When high-level corruption cases stand for years without resolution and when obvious suspicions do not receive an institutional response - then citizens rightly ask: where is justice?
The case of the appeal judge in whose possession 350 thousand euros were found, hidden and walled up in a wall, is not just a scandal. It is a symbol of deep systemic weakness – a symbol of a culture of impunity, silence and mutual protection that has been eroding trust in the justice system for too long,” said the Justice Minister, Igor Filkov.
This case, according to Filkov, further undermines trust in the entire judiciary and calls into question the function of a judge, which should be in service and in the interests of citizens and justice, not a privilege.
At the same time, the public is also witnessing serious challenges in the functioning of the prosecution – insufficient efficiency, limited capacities and insufficient determination in dealing with the most serious forms of crime.
,,Research on the perception of corruption shows that trust in the judiciary and prosecution has been seriously undermined. That trust cannot be restored overnight, not with a single decision.
It is clear that the problem is systemic and does not only apply to individual cases. We are aware that without thorough and well-targeted reforms, such phenomena will continue to be repeated. Therefore, the Ministry of Justice has taken a systemic approach, by determining the actual the situation on the ground and by taking concrete steps," emphasized the Minister of Justice, Igor Filkov.