"It damages the citizen's access", the former Minister of Justice for the new judicial map: the presented draft is drastic

Former Minister of Justice Eduart Halimi has commented on the new judicial map, saying that it is a drastic draft that does not resemble any other model in Europe.

"The draft that has been presented is drastically different from other models in Europe. A citizen from Saranda does not need just three hours to come to Tirana. According to experts, it should take an hour and a half to go to court. This element is damaged, that's why we are critical and we have the public's interest only. This harms the citizen's access to the court, harms the citizen's pocket and the cost to come to the court is higher. Being in a court, judges think that efficiency increases, this would be equivalent if the judicial body were complete.

We have 32 cases in Appeal but only 30 judges. We will have an Appellate Court that needs 78 judges, but for this we need 78 offices. You need to be a building for this reform as a minimum and infrastructure, which since February 1 without doing any study, the KLJ asked for money from the government and the government said it's enough, go and see for yourself that there are 30 judges in a building from the 80s and you will see that the files are in the basements and it will be difficult for the cases to come out to return to the efficiency that a citizen from Saranda needs about 6 months to go to Appeal, while one from Tirana needed 2 years until yesterday there were judges. The problems in the justice system that we barely created with the Constitutional Court, we still have problems with the Supreme Court and now it is going down to the Appeal which has been in Agony for at least three years, creating extraordinary damage.

The judges are happy to come from Shkodra to Tirana, it is already known how they will live. This map recreates other problems that have not been discussed with critical voices. The improvement of the state budget should be seen, now that the cost of transporting detainees is staggering according to the Moldovan scenario. We have a transport cost today and a prisoner has to leave Saranda early and it takes all day. It would be better if there were three Courts of Appeal and not one", said Halimi on Panorama TV.