Lesmes inaugurates a new judicial course with more tension over the blockade of the Judiciary – EL PAÍS

The president of the Supreme Court and the General Council of the Judiciary, has demanded the urgent renewal and in accordance with the law of the General Council of the Judiciary so as not to cause more damage to justice and institutions. “The renewal of the Council must be undertaken urgently and in accordance with current legislation, without being subject to any political force with successive conditions that prevent clear compliance with the constitutional mandate of the term, which does not admit interpretations”, he said in the presence del Rey, during the opening ceremony of the judicial year in the Supreme Court. Lesmes has demanded in a “solemn, official and in the presence of the King” that the President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, and the leader of the PP, Alberto Núñez Feijóo, meet without further delay to agree on and close the institutional renewal. This speech has marked the opening act of the judicial year, in which Lesmes has also denounced that the blockade has caused “a historical mess” in justice. The act was charged with tension precisely because of the almost four years of blockage in the renewal of the General Council of the Judiciary due to the lack of understanding between the PSOE and the PP. Another renewal, that of two magistrates of the Constitutional Court that the Judiciary must choose, has led to a threat of boycott by the conservative bloc, which in recent hours has made its position more flexible. Lesmes, in a judicial act that attracts more attention from opinion public, has called for urgent renewal. And he has done it in a nominal way, citing Sánchez and Feijóo. Thus, he has assured that, if said request is not heeded to end the blockade once and for all, “it will be necessary to reflect on the adoption of other types of decisions that we neither want nor like”, a phrase that points to a refusal to resign that has maintained up to now. More information In his opinion, the blockade is causing damage to justice that may be irreparable and is already having consequences in the administration of justice to citizens, some of which he has detailed. “Unfortunately, the political scenario of recent years, as he previously pointed out, is weakening and eroding the main institutions of Spanish justice.” And he has insisted: “I am logically referring to the General Council of the Judiciary and the Supreme Court. The first of them, due to the lack of renewal in the perception of the term states and the limitation of their essential functions and, the second, due to the constant decrease in troops that has been taking place since last year as a consequence of the impossibility reinstatement”. In addition, he has advocated reforming the system for electing members of the governing body of judges, but once the current Council has been changed, in compliance with the Constitution. “It is unavoidable and must be addressed as urgently as possible (…) That is why, Sir, on this occasion and before Your Majesty in the presence of the Plenary Session of the Supreme Court of the Plenary Session of the General Council of the Judiciary of the plenary session of the Constitutional Court of the presidents of the Superior Courts of Justice of the autonomous communities of the president of the National High Court of the representatives of the judicial associations of Spain as well as of other high authorities with more public and solemn request to the president of the Government of Spain and the head of the opposition head of the political parties with the greatest parliamentary representation that meet urgently and reach an agreement that provides a definitive solution to this unsustainable situation that I have just described, so that the Council is renewed in the coming weeks, it may not be, it is reinstated in the fullness of its powers as granting this request the constitutional relevance and democracy that it really has and leaving aside all party interest”. What affects the most is what happens closest to it. In order not to miss anything, subscribe. Subscribe Meanwhile, the State Attorney General, Álvaro García Ortiz, who took office on Monday, has tested positive for covid this Wednesday, so he has not attended the opening of the judicial year. García Ortiz had to present to the King and the rest of the authorities the report of the Prosecutor’s Office for 2021, but he has been replaced by his number two, the Lieutenant Prosecutor of the Supreme Court, María Ángeles Sánchez Conde, who has read the intervention that García had prepared Ortiz. In a speech very focused on social aspects, the prosecutor has focused on issues such as comprehensive reparation for the victims, to which the report of the Public Ministry alludes, which advocates avoiding the so-called secondary victimization through mechanisms such as preventing have to testify before different instances, facilitate access to the procedure and support and accompaniment measures. “We will explore all possible aspects of protection to provide prosecutors with a comprehensive legal tool in this area. The victims must be our priority: they must be protected and defended. Their testimony, on many occasions essential for the prosecution of the crime, should not mean a burden, a violent or heartbreaking element. It is not the victims who have to adapt to the process or to justice: it is we who must adapt to them and their needs. We also make ourselves available to the legislator to jointly explore this path for their benefit.” The prosecutor has also warned of the increase in open procedures for crimes of human trafficking, which increased by 37.5% compared to 2020 (year in which crime fell due to confinement and the restrictions derived from the pandemic). 67.27% of these cases referred to trafficking for the purpose of sexual exploitation, detecting 277 victims, of which 98.55% were women or girls. Labor trafficking follows in statistical importance with 16.36% of procedures. The Prosecutor’s Office, pointed out Sánchez Conde, has its sights set on the migratory crisis derived from armed conflicts, natural catastrophes and the climate crisis. “The Immigration Unit of the State Attorney General’s Office has been detecting that foreigners in an irregular administrative situation are the breeding ground for exploitation and abuse. For this reason, I will encourage the participation of work teams to achieve a comprehensive law against trafficking in human beings”, he said. strong points will be the speech by Carlos Lesmes, president of the General Council of the Judiciary and of the Supreme Court. There are the Minister of Justice, Pilar Llop, and the leader of the opposition, Alberto Núñez Feijóo. This will be the fourth speech that Lesmes will deliver with the mandate expired. Llop has assured this morning that it would “never” occur to him to think that the Judiciary will not be renewed. Asked by Cadena SER about the words of Lesmes, who yesterday said that he had no hope of a prompt renewal of the governing body of the judges, he said: “It would never occur to me to pressure a body that, moreover, I know very well. ; whoever says that does not know the Judiciary well nor does he know President Lesmes. I have always defended the independence of the CGPJ, to the point that I defend the reports it prepares on government bills. It’s not a matter of taste, it’s a matter of judgment.” Lesmes’ words on Monday before a group of journalists were a preview of what he is expected to say at the opening of the judicial year, where he will once again demand the renewal of the judicial body. government of the judges and will reproach the Government for having promoted the legal reform that returns to the Council the powers to appoint Constitutional magistrates, but maintains the veto for those of the Supreme Court, which already has 14 of its 79 vacancies. On the other hand, The General Council of the Judiciary (CGPJ) faces tomorrow, Thursday, the plenary session convened to elect two magistrates of the Constitutional Court, which is reached with a high degree of uncertainty. On Tuesday, Lesmes reactivated his contacts with several members to prevent any attempt to prevent the renewal of the court of guarantees from prospering. In parallel, however, the members of the conservative sector of the governing body of the judges held a dinner at night in which different alternatives were examined, but always from the conviction that the circumstances for such designations did not exist. The conservative group stresses that it will agree to “reach duly agreed agreements” if “the Council’s decision times” are respected, something that leaves open the possibility of a pact.