Justice Minister Carlo Nordio hailed
his reform of the judiciary's career paths, which stops
prosecutors and judges from switching between roles, as a
"historic measure" on Wednesday after it was approved by cabinet
and he dismissed assertions that it was an attempt to increase
the government's power over prosecutors.
"The judiciary is an autonomous (professional) order,
independent of any other power, and it is composed of the
magistrates on the judging career path and those on the
prosecuting career path," Nordio said of his Constitutional
reform bill
"We have given Constitutional importance to the fact that a
prosecutor's office is, must be, and will remain, independent of
any interference by the executive power, and of any pressure
from other bodies.
"It enjoys, and will continue to enjoy, the same guarantees of
independence as a judging magistrate".
He said the reform also changes the make-up of the judiciary's
self-governing body, the CSM, and changes the way CSM justices
are electing, using a draw process.
He said this will put an end to the chronic factionalism that
has beset the Italian judiciary as seen in some
influence-peddling scandals of recent years.
"Breaking this link, which led to a whole series of anomalies,
via a draw was our main task," he said.
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