Judicial reform in
Some individuals who have been tried and sentenced in the past year were once assumed to be beyond the reach of the law, because of their political connections and financial resources.
They and their like aren’t above the law any more – and that’s something that decent citizens will applaud.
In fact, the greatest criticism that can be levelled against the judicial reform process in
Increasingly, thanks to the efforts of the High Judicial and Prosecutorial Council – as well as the commitment of a small number of courageous prosecutors, judges, politicians, journalists and citizens – the independence and integrity of the judiciary is being strengthened.
Who does this benefit?
It benefits every law-abiding citizen.
Who does it hurt?
It hurts every crooked businessman, corrupt politician and professional criminal.
The difficult task of rehabilitating the judiciary is not peculiar to post-war
The rule of law had been reasserted – not just in
The rule of law is straightforward – it serves and protects the law-abiding majority, and it is the scourge of the criminal minority.
Al Capone didn’t like it and neither have successive generations of criminals and crooked politicians, in the
Let us be clear:
Uncertainty concerning the rule of law here is helping drive away the investment that is needed to create jobs and end poverty – the kind of foreign investors you want will not put money in a country where they believe the courts can be undermined.
Judicial reform is about helping put criminals behind bars, thereby helping to make law-abiding citizens safe, attract investment and end poverty. Politicians can demonstrate their backing for this by supporting the work of the High Judicial and Prosecutorial Council (and not whining about the judiciary’s work when one of their own gets caught and sentenced), and by maintaining the salaries of judges and prosecutors so as to diminish the potential influence of criminals and crooked politicians.
If politicians declare themselves to be against judicial reform and work to undermine the independence of the judiciary, they should explain why.