Lukashenko reported by Supreme Court Chairman
The President of Belarus has been reported by Chairman of the Supreme Court Valentin Sukalo
Aleksandr Lukashenko began the conversation by saying that this year, in April, the Belarusian judicial system is turning one hundred years old. Then the Belarusian leader outlined a whole range of issues to be considered, “It seems that once we intended to conduct another reform of the judicial system. Based on your experience, what are our results in this regard?”
According to the updated Constitution, adopted at the nationwide referendum last year, the powers to elect the Chairman of the Supreme Court, his deputies, judges of the Supreme Court, as well as the Chairman and judges of the Constitutional Court are transferred to the Belarusian People’s Congress.
“In this way, the independence of the judiciary is strengthened,” Aleksandr Lukashenko underlined. “What do you think after a few months after making such a decision? Aren’t we wrong here? Won’t there be some mistake both regarding the Constitutional Court and the Supreme Court? Due to the fact that we are making it more independent, we are raising it up there to the Belarusian People’s Congress.”
The Head of State also asked how the institute of appeal is developing in the Supreme Court, taking into account the experience of economic courts.
Another topic is the work with appeals of citizens wishing to return to their homeland.
“We have just talked with Andrei Shved [Prosecutor General of Belarus] that we have launched work on the crimes of the fugitives. However, by law, we take many decisions in the courts to punish those who have committed crimes of this kind. This refers to the people who are here. How does it fit together, are there any contradictions here?” Aleksandr Lukashenko asked. “What is your opinion about this kind of ‘escape’ for these fugitives, who nevertheless committed minor offenses? Someone ran away in fear. What is your assessment of the fact that we have created a commission so that some can be rehabilitated, enabling them to return to their homeland?”
The President was also interested in legal proceedings for those cases that are under his control.
Valentin Sukalo stressed that the judicial system today generally meets all the constitutional requirements for it, “It calmly responds to all challenges and threats, mastering the volumes of justice that it has today. At the same time, it does not stand still, continuing to improve and reform. The first results of the reform are already evident. It so fortunately coincided that the judicial reform coincided in time with the constitutional reform. We have completed the third stage of the judicial reform, and just the constitutional reform. And it was enshrined at the highest constitutional level.”
