Judicial vetting enters its final stage with the evaluation of Court Presidents and -Vice Presidents

The Judicial Vetting Commission has formally notified all presidents and vice presidents of district courts, as well as any individuals who have held acting positions in these roles for a cumulative period of at least one year within the past five years, regarding the initiation of the vetting procedure. According to the list provided by the Superior Council of Magistracy, nearly 30 judges who have recently held leadership positions within the judiciary are set to undergo external evaluation. This group constitutes the final category of judges subject to external evaluation in accordance with the provisions of Law 252/2023.

Today, the Commission notified 24 judges (see List) of the initiation of the vetting process and provided them with the initial documentation required for evaluation. Three additional judges from the same category are already undergoing or have completed evaluation in their roles as appellate court judges.

The notifications include requests to complete the following documents:

• Declaration of assets and personal interests (covering the past 5 years);
• Ethics Questionnaire;
• List of close people within the judiciary, the prosecution service, and the public sector.

These documents shall be completed and returned to the Commission within 20 days of the date the notification was sent. The evaluation will include financial integrity checks covering the past 12 years and ethical integrity checks covering the last 5 years.

Law 252/2023 provides exceptions from evaluation for judges who have previously passed the external evaluation and those who choose to resign within 20 days of notification. Failure to submit the required declarations and questionnaire within the prescribed timeframe, without reasonable justification, automatically results in failure. In such cases, the judge is dismissed from office and barred from holding judicial or public positions for a period of 5 to 7 years.

Also today, the Commission issued notifications initiating the evaluation of two candidates for the position of judge at the Supreme Court of Justice, as well as one candidate for the position of member of the Board for the Selection and Evaluation of Judges. These individuals have 10 and 7 days, respectively, to complete and submit the 5-Year Declaration and Ethics Questionnaire to the Commission. Failure to do so will not result in dismissal-related consequences.

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