Justice Minister eager to see justice system reform make headway

Justice Minister Emily Yioliti proposed to the House legal committee on Wednesday the establishment of a working group, composed of representatives of parliamentary parties and the Cyprus Bar Association, for a discussion of positions regarding the direction of the impending justice system reform.

After the committee unanimously returned three of the total five justice reform bills on July 24, with parliamentary parties noting they would discuss the matter further with the relevant bodies, Yioliti’s proposal on Wednesday sought to move things along.

She asserted that parties must submit their proposals for any amendments to the bills so that deliberations can move forward.

“I propose that one person is appointed from each party so that a working group can be established, and we can move forward shortly.”

She noted that two years have already gone by for consultations, and that there had been amendments that had been taken into account. Yioliti added that while it appeared that the bills were ready to be put to a vote at the end of July, they were then returned to the Ministry in an unorthodox way, as there were no further suggestions for amendments.

“I am not in favour of sacrificing the quality of the legislation in favour of speed, as these laws will be backbone of the administration of justice in Cyprus,” Yioliti said, but noted that Cyprus finds itself at the bottom of a number of EU lists dealing with justice matters, and particularly in terms of the speed of the administration of justice, “which would be resolved to a great extent if the bills were passed.”