High Court judges will not take an oath before the Albanian President anymore. On Thursday, the Parliament adopted changes to the Law on the Status of Magistrates, which stripped the President from this right.
Article 61 of the previous law provided that High Court judges be sworn in before the President but the adopted amendments required them to take an oath before the High Judicial Council (KLGj).
They also provide that a judge can send an oath in writing to the KLGj if he/she is not invited for the procedure.
The same provision applies to the General Prosecutor, who is required to send a written oath to the Parliament and High Prosecutorial Council if he/she is not invited by the said institutions.
The judges’ and prosecutor’s terms start from the day of oath, taken in person or in writing.
President Meta called the changes an “insidious and partisan” decision by the parliament.
