
The President of the Supreme Court, Sokol Sadushi, in his speech at the General Meeting of Judges, where 3 members are expected to be elected, also touched on the debate on magistrates' salaries and the consultation roundtable called by the Prime Minister with justice institutions.
Sadushi stressed that, as long as the salary law and the claims about its constitutionality are under review by the Constitutional Court, the issue cannot be resolved through another dialogue table. According to him, it is the Constitutional Court that should give the final decision and its decision must be respected and implemented.
"The constitution is not negotiable. Nor can the constitutional trial be replaced by a dialogue table," Sadushi said.
He explained that this does not mean the end of institutional dialogue. According to him, institutions must be willing to sit at the table, present their positions and discuss with arguments, without giving up their constitutional powers.
"Presence at the table does not mean giving up our positions nor accepting the premises of the other side. Dialogue is not submission," he said.
Sadushi noted that the issue of salaries is important, as it is related to guarantees of judicial independence. However, according to him, a serious dialogue between the powers should not be limited to salaries alone.
He requested that the discussion also include the number of judges and prosecutors, filling vacancies, reducing the case stock, shortening the duration of processes, judicial administration, technology, infrastructure, security, and financing.
In this context, Sadushi proposed a "Table for the functioning and consolidation of the justice system", as an institutional and long-term process between the powers.
"The powers are separated, but the state is one," said Sadushi, emphasizing that institutional cooperation must be developed while respecting the independence of the judiciary.