Justice Minister Carlo Nordio on
Wednesday defended his controversial reform of the judiciary,
including separating the career paths of judges and prosecutors
so they can no longer switch between the two roles.
The judiciary's union, the National Association of Magistrates
(ANM), has said the reform would radically change the
Constitution by altering the relationship between the State's
powers, laying the ground for a possible political influence
over judicial power, and it is set to strike against it on
February 27.
The reform also changes the make-up of the judiciary's
self-governing body, the CSM, overhauling the way its justices
are elected by using a draw process, and it creates a High Court
to discipline judges and State attorneys.
Nordio defended the reform as he addressed the Senate on
Wednesday, dismissing, among other things, claims it would turn
prosecutors into 'supercops' because they already are at the
moment.
"In the current system they are already supercops, with the
aggravating factor that they enjoy the same safeguards as a
judge and wield immense power without any real responsibility,"
Nordio said.
"Indeed, today, a prosecutor not only oversees investigations,
but he also creates them, through the so-called cloning of
cases, free from any parameter or any controls, which can
subject a person to hidden, eternal investigations that create
irreparable financial disasters.
"Think of how many investigations have been made up out of
nothing in the true sense of the word and ended in nothing at
the cost millions of euros".
In relation to CSM members being selected via a draw, he said
this move was no "lese majesty ".
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