The Office of the President of Lithuania says that there will be greater emphasis on the qualifications of candidates in the selection of judges

Rasa Svetikaitė, the Chief Advisor to the President, said that amendments to the Judiciary Act signed by President Dalia Grybauskaitė on Monday would allow a greater number of judges to participate in the selection processes for higher positions.

According to the Office of the President, the amendments aim to strengthen the competence of the judges of the higher courts, to increase judicial efficiency and to clarify the dismissal procedure of compromised judges. According to them, during competitions for judicial posts, formal requirements for the length of service will be reduced and more attention to the qualifications of candidates will be paid.

The President is also proposing to tighten the procedure of interim substitution of presidents of courts. According to the current law, a judge with the longest service period, irrespective of its quality, temporarily substitutes as head of a court. Now the amendments provide that judges with poor professional evaluations and weak administrative capacities will not be able to perform these duties.

According to the Office of the President, the amendments also aim to expedite proceedings -- make it possible to transfer a judge from one court to another, if the judicial process hangs due to temporary reasons or increased workload.

Also, amendments to the law provide for the possibility of removal of  a compromised judge from authority while the question of his removal from office is under consideration. According to the President, a compromised judge cannot investigate cases and discredit the state.