The State President Valdis Zatlers when meeting with the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court Andris Gulans in the Riga Castle on April 15 was interested in four most current issues: the work and problems of the Supreme Court, the establishment of the Judicial Ethical Commission, the intended amendments to the Criminal Procedure Law and the procedure of nomination of a candidate of the next Chief Justice of the Supreme Court.

The Chief Justice of the Supreme Court informed about the results of the work of the Supreme Court in 2007 and the mounting problem – the increase of the number of pending cases. It is connected with the insufficient number of judges which cannot be increased due to the lack of premises in the Supreme Court. A. Gulans informed the president also about the conference on the punitive policy which is organized by the Supreme Court on April 25. The State President was interested in the Judicial Ethical Commission which was established in the judicial conference on April 11. Due to his busy working schedule V. Zatlers could not participate in the conference himself.

Besides, the State President asked for the opinion of the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court on the intended amendments to the Criminal Procedure Law which provide that the persons who have cooperated with the investigation institutions are released from criminal responsibility. A. Gulans finds such amendments necessary to promote investigation of cases and prevention of crimes, and supports the proposals of the amendments to the law worked out by the Prosecutor General Office.

In July the term of the position of the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court A. Gulans expires. According to the law, the candidate to the position of the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court is nominated by the Plenary Session of the Supreme Court, and afterwards the voting takes place in the Saeima (Parliament). The State President was interested in what the procedure of nomination is to be. The Supreme Court has formed a work group which works out the procedure under which the candidates to the position of the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court will be nominated, and which will lead this procedure until the Plenary Session of the Supreme Court nominates a candidate to the position of the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court for confirmation in the Saeima. The Chairman of the Chamber of Civil Cases, the Deputy Chief Justice of the Supreme Court Gunars Aigars was elected the head of the work group.

 

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