CoE Secretary General Jagland to EF: Independent Monitoring = Key against Corruption of Judges

*Strasbourg/CoE/Angelo Marcopolo/- Questioned by "Eurofora" about the Independence of Mechanisms to Monitor the Prevention or Eradication of Corruption risks among Judges, in order to maintain Citizens' Trust to their Integrity, CoE's Secretary General, Thornbjorn Jagland's Reply was sharp and concrete :

- "That is, indeed", one of the core Issues for Today's "European Conference of Judges", (organized by the "Consultative Council of European Judges" : CCEJ), he Started to say.

- In consequence, "they are" precisely "Discussing about that", Jagland anounced, pointing at an Exceptional CoE's Conference in Strasbourg, due to Draft a relevant Legal Opinion on that matter.

- And this is going-on "Right Now !", Jaglant stressed, concerning a Move expected to present CoE's competent Legal Expert's View on that Topical matter the soonest, "for 2018".

- For the rest, COE's Secretary General pointed at his own Speech, which had just Opened that Conference, particularly by mentioning current Risks of a "Populist Exploitation of (such eventual problems in) the Judiciary in the current Political Environment".

One among the various Examples of that Political "Exploitation", was offered, later-on, spontaneously by a Turkish Government representative, who Claimed that it was only an Alleged Sympathy of some Judges with that Strange, 6 Hours only long, "Coup" Attempt of July 2016, which would explain and justify the Massive Dissmissals, followed often also by Prosecutions, Arrests, and/or ImPrisonements, etc, of several Thousands of Judges in Turkey, (usually Accused to be "Gullenists", etc).

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- "It's exactly about what You just heard me tell and discuss in that Conference", went on to add, Later-on, speaking also to "Eurofora", the Experienced President of CoE's PanEuropean Anti-Corruption Watchdog, nick-named "GRECO", Marin Mrcela, who is also vice-President of Croatia's Supreme Court.

- President Mrcela, inter alia, had insisted, indeed, in his Address to CoE's Conference, Earlier this Morning, that, according also to some other CoE's relevant Legal Recommendations, each Country should have a "Council of Judges", with Most of its Members, "Not Appointed, but Elected", as he stressed, in order to deal with Monitoring Judges' career and behavior, etc.

Indeed, this is Part of the Proposals included in GRECO's latest Recommendation on "Judicial Integrity and Corruption", recently made according to its factual Findings after Checking the Current Situation in several CoE's Member States, (Comp., f.ex., among others, also, some relevant Critical Observations, Previously made to "Eurofora" by GRECO's President at : ..., etc)

+ "Transparency" is also another Key Word, for that same purpose, Mrcela went on to add, in this regard, inter alia.

=> But, "at Any case", Judges "should be Monitored by Independent Bodies", clearly stressed the experienced GRECO's President, (in accordance with "Eurofora"s query : Comp. Supra).

The Judicial branch has, apparently, been considered by the CoE as the Most Urgent to Address Nowadays, among a Wider Trilogy of "MPs, Prosecutors and Judges", which has been Examined, throughout all CoE's 47 Member States, during the Latest period of Monitoring by "GRECO", the overall Results of which, Together with Measures to "Prevent Corruption" in all those areas in the Future, is due to be Discussed during a 2 Days Conference, Later this Week, on Thursday and Friday (9-10/11/2017) in Prague, (Czech Republic).