The chief judge of the Slovak Supreme Court’s dispute with his critics in the Supreme Court and the Constitutional Court is heating up. Three Constitutional Court judges Ľudmila Gajdošíková, Ján Luby and Ladislav Orosz have protested against Harabin’s claims that their decision in the Ducky case “reeks of corruption.”
The Constitutional Court overturned a Supreme Court ruling stating that the Supreme Court had violated the right of a complainant for a lawfully-selected judge to rule on the case. Harabin suggested that the Constitutional Court seems to suspect him of having committed a crime. In a public statement, nine judges of the Supreme Court distanced themselves from Harabin’s attack on the Constitutional Court judges.
Anonymously, some Supreme Court judges spoke of strained circumstances in the workplace claiming they are unhealthy for the professional execution of duties and personal relationships. Harabin denies that there is any tense atmosphere at the Supreme Court. He point out that these complaints come from nine judges out of a total of 1500 in the Slovak judiciary.
Justice Minister Tomáš Borec has not stated whether or how he hopes to resolve the situation. He said he prefers professional disagreements to be dealt with, as he put it, “in a professional and material plane without personal attacks.”
