Justice Minister Nordio defends judiciary reforms

(ANSA) - ROME, JAN 22 - Justice Minister Carlo Nordio on Wednesday defended his controversial reform of the judiciary, including separating the career paths of judges and prosecutors so they can no longer switch between the two roles.
    The judiciary's union, the National Association of Magistrates (ANM), has said the reform would radically change the Constitution by altering the relationship between the State's powers, laying the ground for a possible political influence over judicial power, and it is set to strike against it on February 27.
    The reform also changes the make-up of the judiciary's self-governing body, the CSM, overhauling the way its justices are elected by using a draw process, and it creates a High Court to discipline judges and State attorneys.
    Nordio defended the reform as he addressed the Senate on Wednesday, dismissing, among other things, claims it would turn prosecutors into 'supercops' because they already are at the moment.
    "In the current system they are already supercops, with the aggravating factor that they enjoy the same safeguards as a judge and wield immense power without any real responsibility," Nordio said.
    "Indeed, today, a prosecutor not only oversees investigations, but he also creates them, through the so-called cloning of cases, free from any parameter or any controls, which can subject a person to hidden, eternal investigations that create irreparable financial disasters.
    "Think of how many investigations have been made up out of nothing in the true sense of the word and ended in nothing at the cost millions of euros".
    In relation to CSM members being selected via a draw, he said this move was no "lese majesty ". (ANSA).