Minister of Justice Akın Gürlek announced that he is in constant consultation with his colleagues in the judiciary regarding the 12th Judicial Reform Package.
As part of his provincial visit, Minister Gürlek visited the Düzce Courthouse.
At the Courthouse, he was received by Yasin Emre, the Chief Public Prosecutor of Düzce. Minister Gürlek emphasized that he attaches importance to courthouse visits during all his provincial visits. He reiterated that he is in continuous consultation with his colleagues concerning the 12th Judicial Reform Package, and stated as follows: “You are working here in Düzce, and your opinions are very important to us. From what I have seen, your courthouse is a very fine one, with a decent working environment. The housing issue has also been largely resolved. We want to assist our colleagues as much as possible. We are well aware of your problems, especially those encountered in practice. In order to prevent these issues from causing delays in judicial proceedings, we will also work on this matter.”
"I ATTACH GREAT IMPORTANCE TO COURTHOUSE VISITS"
Minister Gürlek noted that he had worked in the courthouses for 20 years, and continued his remarks as follows:
“I have worked as a judge and as a public prosecutor. Later, I was appointed as the Deputy Minister of Justice, the Chief Public Prosecutor of Istanbul, and the Minister of Justice. First and foremost, I am very familiar with the problems you face, the difficulties you encounter, and the psychological pressures you experience. I also attach importance to courthouse visits. They provide both morale and motivation for our colleagues, and, above all, allow us to directly observe the practical problems in the field. We aim to contribute as much as possible to the resolution of these issues.”
“OUR PURPOSE HERE IS TO ADDRESS AND SOLVE THE PROBLEMS”
During his visit, Minister Gürlek also shared with his colleagues the criticisms, made by citizens. Emphasizing two main points of criticism, he stated as follows:
“There are two fundamental criticisms from the public regarding justice. The first is that trials take too long. I have observed this myself, and you are aware of it as well. Each case has a target duration within which it should be concluded; in fact, this is already determined. On this matter, I especially ask you to pay close attention to your case files. I mention this everywhere I go. If the problem does not stem from judges or prosecutors but rather from the system itself, then we, as the Ministry of Justice, together with my technical team and delegation, have come here to resolve these issues.”
Minister Gürlek further stated that, with the 12th Judicial Reform Package, efforts will also be made to reinforce the number of judges and prosecutors and to improve working conditions.
"JUDGES AND PROSECUTORS EXAMINE THE EVIDENCE "
Addressing the second major criticism raised by citizens, Minister Gürlek stated as follows: “The second problem, as you know, is the issue of trust in the judiciary. In reality, it is not so, but unfortunately such a perception exists. There is a belief that the judiciary always sides with the powerful. This is wrong. You know it, and we know it. We worked in Istanbul, and you are aware of it as well. Judges and prosecutors examine the evidence in the case file. The status, position, or rank of the parties are not important. Whether a person is powerful, holds an important post, or has financial means does not matter. On this matter, my esteemed colleagues, I ask you to pay strict attention.”
During his courthouse visit, Minister Gürlek met with the judges and public prosecutors in the conference hall together with the Chief Public Prosecutor, Yasin Emre, and the Chairman of the Judicial Commission, Mustafa Duran. He also visited the bar association, where he posed for the cameras with bar executives and lawyers.