Seven issues concerning appointment of judges were considered at the meeting that the Milli Majlis Committee for Law Policy and State-Building held on 18 May.

First Deputy Chair of the Milli Majlis and Committee Chairman Ali Huseynli stressed at the meeting the new stage of reforms begun under the leadership of the Head of State and encompassing the judicial and legal system, amongst others. The legislative reforms had been implemented in the first order. The appropriate departments had drawn up a number of crucial draft laws that had been submitted to the Milli Majlis, discussed and enacted eventually. Going to the next sage, the Judicial and Legal Council carried out the substantial work to tighten discipline and enhance transparency. The staff reforms had constituted the essential third area of activity.

Ali Huseynli said that the Committee was going to discuss the presentation that had arrived at the Parliament bearing the signature of the President of Azerbaijan and dealt with appointment of judges to the Supreme Court and provincial courts of appeal.

The introductory word by Mr Huseynli was followed by the speech of David Huseynov, Chief of Staff of the Judicial and Legal Council. He spoke about the work done by the Council throughput the reformation period and about also the factors that influence courts’ activities and efficiency of the justice. He also informed the participants of the meeting of the current staffing reforms, the judicial complexes being built on locations and other undertakings. The judicial system’s performance was restrained due to the pandemic last year; the Judicial and Legal Council implemented an extra software solution to process cases using the electronic judicial information system; meanwhile, that software only supported the handling of civic cases. The Milli Majlis enacting an appropriate law in June last year then made it possible to process criminal cases as well.

Then, Chairman of the Milli Majlis Committee for Human Rights Zahid Oruj shared the statistical data on the judicial and legal reforms current in the country gathered by the Social Research Centre that he is helming.

The committee members Bahrouz Maharramov, Fazail Agamali, Elshan Musayev, Erkin Gadirli, Tahir Karimli, Kamal Jafarov and Nizami Safarov commented on the agenda items, made suggestions and voiced their positive view of the candidate judges.

Javid Huseynov clarified the matters of interest to the MPs. Then, First Vice-Speaker and Committee Chairman Ali Huseynov summarised the deliberations.

The matters considered at the meeting of the Committee were recommended for tabling at a Milli Majlis plenum. Those are the presentations on appointing the judges of the Supreme Court of the Azerbaijan Republic and the Supreme Court of the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic; appointing the judges of the courts of appeal of Baku, Sumgait and Shirvan; and appointing and dismissing the judges of the courts of appeal of Ganja and Sheki.

The Press and Public Relations Department
The Milli Majlis