High Inspector of Justice Mr. Artur Metani is conducting a working visit to the USA, at the invitation of Open Gov Hub USA, together with colleagues from other justice institutions of Albania.
During the visit, the hosts organized the public event with the topic “Reform in justice in Albania. Constitutionalism in action”, on which the High Inspector of Justice, Mr. Artur Metani, the president of the High Judicial Council, Mrs. Naureda Llagami and the chairman of the Independent Qualification Commission Mr. Roland Ilia, who then answered questions from the audience.
Speaking about finding the right balance between a stable, solid governing and the protection of basic human rights and freedoms, Mr. Metani made a comparison with the way of working in the Office of the High Inspector of Justice.
“Defining the boundaries where we should investigate the work of a judge/prosecutor, constitutionally speaking is, and it’s not something easy, it’s not that it’s written clearly. As I said, there are virtual boundaries that we have to see, not only to see but also to comply with, and not only to comply with but also to explain to people and to the society. That’s why we feel that the work with the civil society organizations is crucial important to try to help each other, to implement and keep the highest standards in the work of the judges and prosecutors,” said. Mr. Metani.
Asked what are the most important challenges facing the implementation of the justice reform, despite the positive evaluation received in the latest progress report of the European Commission for Albania, the High Inspector of Justice said that he considers raising awareness, understanding of the society, institutions and other actors on the importance of the independent judicial system, accepting it as such even when we do not like its decision-making.
“Of course, everyone likes an independent judicial system, but this means that we have to agree with the judicial system when it makes decisions that we like, but also when it makes decisions that we don’t like. If we do not try to create such a relationship between society, media, political factors and justice institutions, there will always be a big challenge to overcome. As I said earlier, in my opinion this is the biggest challenge and it will probably take a long time to reach this high standard. If we do not see the solution of our daily problems with a long-term vision and are focused only on the heat of the moment debate, we will prolong our agony and efforts to achieve the standards we aspire to have for our justice system. remarked Mr. Metani.
Asked about the balance of the relationship between politics and justice institutions and the ways in which justice institutions can be protected from politics, the High Inspector of Justice stated that the best protection is transparency on the work being done.
“Some people may criticize the work of the justice system, some people may agree with it, but this is democracy. It is our duty to be as transparent as possible, so that everyone can see what we think inside and see what politicians criticize, based on all factors. The only instrument to protect yourself is transparency.”
