An appropriate working environment has been created for the commencement of the work of the Economic Court - premises and technical equipment, concluded the Minister of Justice Jānis Bordāns after today’s inspection of the premises of the future court.
J. Bordāns: "Currently, an important stage is taking place in the preparation process for the commencement of the activities of the specialized court - by August 28, applicants will apply for the positions of judges. I invite every qualified lawyer whose professional interest is related to commercial matters to consider joining the Latvian family of judges and become one of the judges who will have the opportunity to develop the case law of the commercial court and the authority of the court!”
It is intended that the court will have jurisdiction over specific commercial disputes and criminal cases concerning particularly serious and serious crimes that cause significant damage to the business environment and economic development. At the same time, the determination of specialization in a particular field of law or legal issues within the court will be in the hands of the judges themselves. Usually, the determination of specialization takes place taking into account the judge's previous experience in a certain field of law and interest in specific legal issues, J. Bordāns emphasizes.
It is planned that the selection examinations will take place from the end of September 2020 to the end of November 2020. All candidates who have successfully passed the selection examination will be included in the list of candidates for the position of a judge. The position of a judge will be offered to the candidates with the highest number of points obtained in the selection tests. As for other candidates, inclusion on the list entitles them to apply for a vacancy for the position of a judge in the next three years without having to pass the examination again.
It is especially emphasized that preparatory courses will be available within the selection process, which will help applicants to prepare for the professional examinations. Much work has also been done to develop a curriculum for young judges that is specifically tailored to the specificities of the jurisdiction of the Economic Court. The program has been developed with the participation of experienced legal experts, based on the LJTC previous experience in judicial training and the practice of the European Judicial Training Network (EJTN), and also includes a series of seminars for the development of skills. We have also considered the possibility of gaining an international perspective and the opportunity to actively participate in international dialogue by participating in experience exchange programs and international seminars, such as courses organized at the European Rights Academy (ERA), informs the Minister of Justice.
J.Bordāns emphasizes: "Although the process of establishing a court was unnecessarily politicized, the independence of the judiciary is the basis of the rule of law in our country and there are and will be no exceptions. My task is to ensure the development of the judiciary, and in this case it is my conviction that the resources of the judiciary need to be directed to address issues fundamental to the country's development and reputation, such as improving the rule of law in the business environment, fighting corruption and preventing money laundering." I call on both current and future judges not to be influenced by the political struggles that have been wrapped around this issue. This is a rare case when so many new judges will be admitted to the court system at the same time and I am convinced that the entire judiciary will benefit, J. Bordāns expressed confidence.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:
The specialized court will be located in Riga, and its jurisdiction will cover the entire territory of Latvia. In order to ensure an efficient and expeditious court process, the court will be provided with adequate logistical support, including the installation of three stationary and one portable set of videoconferencing equipment. At the same time, the Ministry of Justice points out that by optimizing the available resources, the specialized court is established within the existing budget and without increasing the number of judges. The competition announcement is available in the official publication "Latvijas Vēstnesis". Application deadline is August 28, 2020.