On Friday, April 11, the judges of Latvia will gather for the annual conference in the Riga House of Congresses the central issue of which will be approval of the regulations of the Commission of Judicial Ethics and election of the commission.

The amendments to the law “On Judicial Power” adopted in the Saeima (Parliament) on April 3, 2008, stipulate the Commission of Judicial Ethics which is collegiate body of judicial self-management the main goal of which is to provide conclusions on the interpretation and violations of ethical standards, as well as to clarify and highlight the standards of judicial ethics.

The Commission of Judicial Ethics will consist of 10 members who will be elected by the judicial conference by secret ballot. A judge, Honourary Judge or a person who has been released from the position of a judge due to reaching the maximum age limit for the position of a judge, may be elected a member of the Commission of Judicial Ethics. A nominee to the position of a member of the Commission of Judicial Ethics has to have impeccable reputation and understanding of the role of ethics in the work of a judge, and the issues of judicial ethics.

The judges of the district (town) courts, regional courts, land registers and the Supreme Court have already nominated the possible candidates to the Commission of Judicial Ethics. These proposals, as well as the draft regulations of the Commission of Judicial Ethics have been sent to all the courts.

The draft regulations of the Commission of Judicial Ethics will be presented by the member of the work group which worked it out, the senator of the Supreme Court Dace Mita. After the approval of the regulations of the Commission of Judicial Ethics the judges will elect the members of the commission.

As usual, at the opening of the conference, the addresses will be delivered by the guests, afterwards the principal report will be presented by the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court Andris Gulans and the Minister of Justice Gaidis Berzins.

The agenda of the conference includes also the reports of the heads of the judicial self-management institutions – the Judicial Disciplinary Panel and the Judicial Qualification Panel.

Representatives of mass media are also invited to the conference of judges of Latvia which begins at 10.00.

 

Information prepared by

Head of the Division of Communications of the Supreme Court Rasma Zvejniece

E-mail: rasma.zvejniece@at.gov.lv, telephone: 7020396, 28652211