Justice minister dismisses claims new administrative court political

Budapest, September 2 (MTI) – The justice minister, László Trócsányi, has dismissed claims that the new administrative court would serve political purposes.

In an interview to the Friday edition of Népszabadság, Trócsányi said plans for the court had been long in the making and would apply to citizens or legal entities involved in a lawsuit with a public authority in cases concerning, for example, permission to continue an activity.

Here it is not the rules of the civil courts that should apply, he said. Instead, an independent public administrative procedural code is needed. He said that with the exception of Slovakia, every European Union member state operates such a system.

Commenting on the government’s selection of public administration court judges, he said it was “simply untrue” that they were looking to appoint judges close to those in power.

Opposition parties complain that the new court would have the power to judge legal disputes over decisions made by the Media authority, the National Bank of Hungary, the Public Procurement Arbitration Board and the National Election Committee.

One Socialist lawmaker said: “This is as if the accused were to choose the jury members from among his family members.”

The minister said the head of the National Justiciable Office (OBH) would not have the right of veto over the naming of judges. Referring to constitutional concerns brought up by OBH leaders, Trócsányi insisted, however, that “as a former constitutional judge … there are no plans that are grounds for concern.” He added that the OBH would not be stripped of its rights in connection with the head of courts and only the conditions for appointing judges would be changed. The constitution does not exclude this possibility, the minister said.

Trócsányi said the establishment of the administrative court did not conflict with the constitution. Neither does the condition that the head of the court is to be chosen with the support of at least three members of a four-member committee comprising heads of the OBH, Constitutional Court, Kúria and Justice Ministry, he added.

The ministry has called a meeting of parliamentary parties for today to discuss a proposal to establish public administration courts in Hungary. The government wants to set up a system overseen by the Kúria, Hungary’s supreme court, the ministry said in a recent statement.