The courts, in criminal cases, will be able to request advisory opinions from the Supreme Court of Justice, a practice so far reserved only for civil proceedings. This will ensure the uniformity of procedural tools for all participants in criminal and civil proceedings. The Cabinet approved a draft law to amend particular normative documents regarding procedural aspects in the work of courts, IPN reports.
The online hearing is extended and this, according to the draft law, will contribute to faster examination of criminal cases. At the same time, the measure comes to increase the safety of witnesses, especially in cases where physical participation can endanger their lives.
As for the personal guarantees of the accused, suspect or defendant, their number will increase from a minimum of two to five. The guarantees will not apply in cases of corruption and those related to corruption. Also, the value of the bail will increase from 300 to 3000 conventional units (15,000 to 150,000 lei) to discourage the violation of bail conditions.
Appeals in civil and criminal proceedings will be treated similarly, when it is alleged that the decision was arbitrary or based on an unreasonable assessment of the evidence. The Supreme Court of Justice will issue reasoned judgments in cases at courts of first instance and appeals against decisions of the Court of Appeals, helping to standardize judicial practices.
In order to increase the speed of examination of cases, the Supreme Court of Justice will be able to try cases in a panel of three judges, even if they were initially distributed to five judges. These changes, according to the Ministry of Justice, are meant to improve the efficiency of the judicial system.
