Justice Ministry: Intensive Work on Issue of Changes to Judicial Council Law and Criminal Code

The Justice Ministry has said that there is intensive work on the issue of changes to the Judicial Council Law and Criminal Code. Working groups have been formed to prepare the draft-changes, the institution said on Thursday, adding that they were expected to present draft-laws as soon as possible.

The group in charge of the Council issue is headed by Supreme Court Judge Mirjana Lazarova Trajkovska, while Council President Aleksandar Kambovski, Skopje Court of Appeals Judge Zoran Gerasimovski, and Jelena Kadric, representative of the Blueprint Group for Judicial Reforms, are among the members.

When it comes to the Code group, university professor Aleksandra Deanoska Trendafilova is the head, while among its members are Criminal Court Judge Daniela Aleksovska Stojanovska, Vladimir Tufegdzic, lawyer, and Zarko Hadzi-Zafirov, Blueprint Group for Judicial Reforms, are among the members.

Regarding the Criminal Code changes issue, the Ministry also said the procedure for a new code, too, was underway. As the institution had explained previously, it’s been completed and submitted to the European Commission for an opinion, after which it will be submitted to procedure within the Government and Parliament.