The government’s reform of the country’s criminal code and judicial map was the subject of the Minister of State’s speech Maki Voridis at the Professional and Industrial Chamber of Rodopi.

The event, which was organized by DAP-NDFK Komotini, was also attended by, among others, the secretary of New Democracy and MP of the B2 Western Sector of Athens, Maria Syrengela, as well as the Rodopi MP of the ruling party, Euripides Stylianidis .

With a primary audience, Law School students, the Minister of State first clarified that the reform in the field of justice has a single strategy and philosophy. The acceleration of the delivery of justice is linked, for example, to the judicial map, he added.

Focusing on the new judicial map – which was also the title of the relevant event – he recognized that Mrwhich courts had been established at some point with “probably irrational” criteria, under conditions of political pressure and political choices, and not under conditions of rational composition of the judicial matter. This, he explained, has caused judicial disparity which has the practical effect, as an adverse consequence, of not serving applicants in these judicial formations. The judicial map will help in the distribution of cases and court material, he underlined, giving specific examples, e.g. Thebes – Livadia. With uniform formations, internal allocations will be made, he added.

Despite the fact, on the other hand, that the country has more judges than the European average, decisions take three times the time of the European average. The delay in delivering justice is crucial, for example, in the criminal part, write down. And this, because, as argued by M. Voridis, the proximity of the commission of the criminal act and the enforcement of justice is of great importance for compliance. If there is a long time gap, the feeling of impunity is strengthened, he concluded.

In the chapter, “anti-crime policy”, the Minister of State defended the government’s choice for a stricter policy, compared to that of SYRIZA – Progressive Alliance. He was concerned with three different issues, the lower sentences, the cases of convicts who get out of prison in a shorter period of time, but also those guilty of consecutive misdemeanors, who remain out of prison. Issues faced by the recently passed Criminal Code. While he related these issues to specific crimes – offences, such as homicide, pederasty, theft, violations of the Road Traffic Code.

In closing, he observed that, although an unpopular policy, conditions of detention must be improved as well as preventive and penal measures, the work done by social services. Finally, that there are also people who have committed serious crimes, but it was a phase in their lives and they are reintegrating.

It is a first intervention, he emphasized, both in his speech and in his statement to the local media. “Accelerating (justice) is one thing, the other is that we have to respond to a social demand, which says we need more effective anti-crime policies,” he also told the media. And this (including the policies) is a bunch of things, one of which is the tightening of the Criminal Code. Finally, M. Voridis stated that he is confident that the new judicial charter will significantly improve the situation in the field of justice.