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Parliament unanimously passed bills for Justice reform

15/07/2022 14:01

Cyprus Parliament on Thursday unanimously passed a set of bills that are part of wider legislative arrangements with which the Justice reform is sought. Justice Minister Stephie Dracos, who was present at the House Plenary session when the deputies were voting for the bills, in a written statement, welcomed the “greatest Justice reform ever” that marks “a new and optimistic day” for the citizens of the Republic of Cyprus.

The bills amending the Law on the Administration of Justice and the Law on Courts, were passed unanimously by the 45 MPs present. The aim is to reform and modernise the structure and operation of the courts with the re-operation of the two supreme courts provided for in the Constitution of the Republic, namely of the Supreme Constitutional Court and the Supreme Court, granting these two courts additional, third-level jurisdiction, as well as establishing a Court of Appeal with appellate jurisdiction to hear appeals.

The Justice reform was deemed necessary to effectively deal with the backlog of cases.  

The Minister said in her statement that the new courts will benefit citizens “and make the administration of justice faster and more efficient,” with a drastic reduction in the time it takes for the announcement of rulings.

She said that the new courts will be staffed with 16 new judges for the Court of Appeal, nine for the Supreme Constitutional Court and seven for the Supreme Court.

Dracos thanked the political parties that supported the bills that had been discussed for years and the members of the House Committee on Legal Affairs, for the "excellent cooperation".

She also thanked the President of the House Committee on Legal Affairs, Nikos Tornaritis, "for his efficiency", as well as the institutional representatives of Justice who supported the reform, such as the Supreme Court, the Attorney General, the Cyprus Bar Association, as well as her predecessors.