Skopje, 16 August 2024 (MIA) — The Judicial Council at an emergency session Friday decided to remove from office Supreme Court judge Nakje Georgiev, who was sentenced to three years in prison for corruption.

Commenting on the decision, Judicial Council chair Vesna Dameva said this was a judge from the highest court who had "previously denied any responsibility, but it has been proven that no one can, not even a judge, go against facts and evidence."

Dameva urged members of the public "not to be silent and not to be afraid."

"Dare and report to the Judicial Council and other competent authorities any corrupt action by a judge, any cases where any judge personally or through an intermediary asks for a bribe or a favor in exchange for exerting influence or making a court decision," she said.

Such individuals, she added, cannot be allowed to tarnish the image of the entire judiciary and the Judicial Council was working toward this aim.

At the beginning of the 495th emergency session, Dameva read the Primary Criminal Court's verdict that had been forwarded to the Judicial Council.

"According to Article 73 of the Law on Courts, a judge who has been sentenced by a final court verdict for a criminal offense to an unconditional imprisonment of at least six months will cease to be a judge," Dameva concluded.

Judicial Council member Antoaneta Dimovska said that although the law did not allow her, in her professional capacity, to comment on the length of the sentence, she had to, as a citizen, voice her dissatisfaction with the verdict.

She stressed that there should be no mitigating circumstances for judges and that "either you are honest or you are dishonest."

"I believe that judges need to be given harsher punishments. A [corrupt] judge, who people expect justice from, should be convicted and this is good, but I think this punishment was not adequate," Dimovska said, urging judges to be braver in ordering sentences. 

The Criminal Court accepted Thursday the proposed settlement between the Public Prosecutor's Office and Georgiev, declaring him guilty for the crime of accepting a reward for unlawful influence under Art. 359 of the Criminal Code, which prescribes a prison sentence of one to ten years for the crime.

As part of the PPO deal, Georgiev agreed on a prison sentence of three years and to be banned from the bench for life. mr/