New justice minister urges speedy judicial reform

Justice Minister Emily Yiolitis on Monday stressed the need for swift reform of the justice system and urged MPs to approve the relevant bills.

In a written statement, Yiolitis noted the urgent need for the reforms and touched upon a yearly report from the European Justice Commission which ranked Cyprus poorly – especially in the length of time it takes for a court case to be resolved.

“I hope that within the month the bills which were designed with such persistent effort by my predecessors will be voted on,” she said on Monday.

She noted two new initiatives which would decongest the courts and would swiftly bring court cases to a resolution.

The first would move the appeal process from the first instance court to the court of appeals – which will be granted on the basis of criteria.

The second initiative sets out for the creation of a small claims court, with simpler, quicker procedures.

The Cyprus Mail is the only English-language daily newspaper published in Cyprus. It was established in 1945 and today, with its popular and widely-read website, the Cyprus Mail is among the most trusted news sites in Cyprus. The newspaper is not affiliated with any political parties and has always striven to maintain its independence. Over the past 70-plus years, the Cyprus Mail, with a small dedicated team, has covered momentous events in Cyprus’ modern history, chronicling the last gasps of British colonial rule, Cyprus’ truncated independence, the coup and Turkish invasion, and the decades of negotiations to stitch the divided island back together, plus a myriad of scandals, murders, and human interests stories that capture the island and its -people. Observers describe it as politically conservative.