Over the last few days, the Independent Qualification Commission (KPK) has canceled the vetting of 10 magistrates because they had arrived at retirement age. While judges and prosecutors from all levels retire, the influx of new judges and prosecutors has remained little more than a trickle.
On January 28, the High Prosecutorial Council (KLP) set the maximum number of students for prosecutor that will be accepted at the School of Magistrates for the academic year 2019–2020 at 25. A day later, the High Judicial Council (KLGj) set the number of students for judge also at 25.
Just the retirements processed this week, represent 20% of the students that are expected to graduate from the School of Magistrates in 2022. So far, already 77 magistrates have left the system since the vetting was started, and following the current trends, 400 will be gone once the vetting is over.
The depletion rate, counting both natural retirement and dismissals, is thus considerable higher than the amount of new magistrates the education system can produce. Not only that: because in the coming years about 50% of the judiciary will be renewed with magistrates from roughly the same age group, another wave of retirements in 40 years from now, will once again wreak havoc.
The effects of the justice reform on the human resource management of the judiciary will be more far reaching than has been suggested so far.
