State can’t dawdle on rulings
All state bodies and local authorities are compelled to immediately obey court rulings against them without delaying until the decisions become irrevocable, a high court has found. In a decision made public yesterday, the State Audit Council found that state bodies should no longer enjoy any advantage regarding the implementation of rulings on financial disputes. Until now the State was able, under certain circumstances, to have favorable decisions carried out immediately while at the same time deferring its response to unfavorable rulings. The Council was responding to an inquiry from the Ministry of Finance which wanted to know whether legislation passed last year that tightened the deadlines for the State to obey court decisions would include provisionally enforceable rulings. The Audit Council – which functions as a court of law and as an independent authority that audits public accounts – found that making an exception for such decisions would constitute a breach of the Constitution and the European Convention on Human Rights.
