MPs urged to pass justice reform bills as soon as possible

Justice Minister Giorgos Savvides appealed to parties on Wednesday to expedite discussion of several bills introducing crucial reforms in the island’s notoriously slow justice system, which he described as a serious national problem.

“I hope we can proceed the soonest,” Savvides said after a meeting of the House legal affairs committee. “I am appealing to all the parties to view the problem of reform as a serious problem for the country, a national problem and a gamble we must win so as to give the next generation a better justice system but also to upgrade the quality and the country’s reputation by utilising it as an international dispute resolution centre.”

The bills, which include an amendment to the constitution, are designed to overhaul the structure of Cypriot courts.

“It is a huge effort that is already underway for some time now, aiming at improving the court’s speed because we believe therein lies our justice’s problem,” he said.

Some of the changes include splitting the supreme court into a supreme constitutional court and an appellate court to handle tertiary appeals.

The bills also define the criteria for recruiting, evaluating and promoting judges, and a school for judges.

The reform includes creating an admiralty, a commercial court and a small claims court.

Committee chairman, Disy MP, Giorgos Georgiou, said they will give priority to the bills.

Cyprus ranks among the slowest countries in the world in terms of delivering swift justice, a conference in Nicosia heard back in March. While the EU average required to complete a case is eight months, Cyprus needs more than 2,500 days.

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.