EU – Baltic States, Law and Regulations, Legislation, Lithuania, Society

Photo: lrp.lt

"The Supreme Court is a reflection of the whole judicial system. Its decisions not only affect people's lives but judicial evolution of the state as well. The rulings of this court are final and are not subject to appeal, and the court forms the case law of the country. Therefore, the public should not have even a slightest doubt regarding the competence, work quality and honesty of judges," said the president.

Grybauskaite noted that hearings of criminal cases in Lithuania take far too long. This leads to disappointment in the judicial system, long arrest periods and violations of human rights. Violations related to excessively lengthy criminal proceedings have been recorded in nearly a fifth of cases lost by Lithuanian courts in the European Court of Human Rights.

Grybauskaite also said that gross violations by judges are intolerable as this undermines people's confidence in the whole judicial system. The president noted the need for rotation of judges, last year one fifth of 35 judges of the Supreme Court have been replaced, the new president of the court was appointed as well.