Ombudswoman Jana Dubovcová highlighted last week that there is a shortage of expert witnesses in Slovakia. As a consequence, in some fields there are delays in judicial proceedings. Dubovcová pointed to one case which was delayed by two years due to its expert witness being overloaded with work. The ombudswoman called the situation unthinkable and said it is the duty of the state to avoid such delays. The Justice Ministry confirmed the shortage, however, it claims that the number of experts has increased this year. The ministry also pointed to specific measures, which have been introduced in order to control the workload of witness experts. Moreover, expert witnesses argue that their job is poorly paid.
Mojmir Prochazka, Photo: TASR
