10 minutes agoSkopje, government seeks chief prosecutor's dismissal
Periskopi(a year ago)
(a year ago)The Northern Macedonia government today adopted the proposal for the general prosecutor's dismissal, while waiting for the prosecution Council to cause it. Prime Minister Hristian Mickovski's government estimates that Chief Prosecutor Lupco Kocevski is working outside legal norms and that he has damaged the image of the judiciary. If the Council doesn't fire Mr. Kocevski, then the case will [...]
If the Council does not dismiss Mr. Kocevski, then the issue will be passed to parliament, where half the number of lawmakers for his dismissal is needed. The opposition sees this as an intervention in VMRO's independence of the judge. Mr. Mickovski.
The North Macedonia government insists on the dismissal of the Prosecutor, Lupco Kocevski, but the legal procedures for this appear to be not simple and the issue could drag on for weeks and months.
Prime Minister Hristija Mickovski stresses that the chief prosecutor has not shown efficiency in his work; that he acted illegally and under the influence of politics; that he has ruined the image and credibility of the prosecution, as he doubts and actions that are related to corruption.
The government cannot dismiss the chief prosecutor, but asks the Republican Council of Prosecutors to do so.
“We cannot as a government dismiss it, but after we have submitted the request to the Council of Prosecutors we must wait 15 days for the response”, Mr. Mickovski said.
The council, meanwhile, expects stable arguments from the government to make a decision concerning Mr Kocevski's dismissal request.
Chief prosecutor Kocevski rejects the accusations, while he has indicated to the media in Skopje that he has implemented the law and “if the violation of rules and laws” on his part, he would leave the “.
Professor Mersim Maxuti of Tetovo University in a conversation with the Voice of America explains that it is Parliament as the last institution that can download or not the chief prosecutor, since he has been elected by lawmakers. Meanwhile, Mr. Maxuti analyzes what is considered political interference in this effort:
This is the most sensitive issue, much more when a procedure, such an initiative comes only after a year from his choice at the head of the country's Public Prosecutor. It's a highly controversial case, although in the first place it looks like there's political interference because the prosecution is really a relevant body by law, but generally looking at it's not that easy to explain because the prosecution is not a court of justice. The courts have absolute power with constitutional powers, while the prosecution, in a way, is not entirely independent, though impressive. This means that the prosecutor's action depends on other executive bodies”, says Mr. Maxuti.
On the other hand, legal expert Maxuti, as well as a number of his colleagues, stress the need for real reforms in the judiciary.
According to polls, only, 2 per cent to 3 per cent of Northern Macedonia citizens trust the judiciary, and for that, officials from the United States have reacted in the past, from which millions of dollars have been spent on training North Macedonia's prosecutors and judges. / VOA
