District Court Slams Justice Ministry Official's 'Interference'
After an extraordinary meeting of judges, Tallinn District Court has turned to the minister of justice, the legal ombudsman, the Supreme Court and the Parliament's Legal Affairs Committee, accusing a justice ministry under secretary, Marko Aavik, of interfering in the court's decision making.
Aavik sent a letter to essentially all judges in the country last week, accusing Tallinn District Court of improper formalities in the sentencing phase and calling for judges to report their colleagues if they find that incorrect procedure was followed. District Court chairman Urmas Reinola said that it is not the first time that Aavik has, as it were, told judges what to do, Postimees reported on Saturday.
Aavik's criticism centers around a section of the Code of Civil Procedure dealing with the part of a court's decision that describes and provides the reasoning for the decision.