Plan for late courts rebuffed
The Athens Bar Association (ABA) yesterday rejected a proposal by Supreme Court prosecutor Giorgos Sanidas to extend the courts’ working hours in order to speed up the judicial process. Following a visit to the ABA’s offices by Sanidas, the association said it disagreed with a proposal for courts to close at 7 p.m. instead of at 4 p.m. «We struggled to abolish afternoon court sessions,» the ABA said. Afternoon court sessions are unworkable for a variety of reasons, according to the ABA. One problem is a lack of judges, as well as a number of allegedly incompetent magistrates, it said. The lack of administrative staff – to record court minutes – also complicates the process, the lawyers said. The association called for the state to make «a bold investment in the judiciary so that it can eventually be harmonized with the countries of Western Europe.»
