TIRANA, Oct  3 /ATA/ – By I.Vata/ Minister of Justice Ulsi Manja participated on Monday in the graduation ceremony of the new magistrates 2019-2022, which coincides with the 25th anniversary of the school.

In his remarks, Minister of Justice Ulsi Manja thanked all those who offered support to establish the School of Magistrates, especially the international partners.

“The school was founded at the time when Albania was facing the difficult period of the post-communist era: in the tumultuous year 1997. Therefore, the creation of the School of Magistrates was a beam of hope for the establishment of functional institutions and the shaping of a professional judicial system independent of politics. Since the conception of the School, in addition to the highly esteemed team of founders, the School has been generously supported by international partners. Therefore, I want to especially thank all partners. With a lot of foresight, they have invested and continue to invest relentlessly to ensure a dignified education of magistrates who must honor the judiciary and prosecution. On these solid foundations, the School built a strong reputation and a history of success. The only competitions that were never contested were the contest for admission into the School of Magistrates. The first generations of magistrates graduated from the School significantly increased the quality of future bodies of judges and prosecutors. The students of the School of Magistrates have had the good fortune to be trained by an honorable pedagogical staff, some of whom we have the honor to have at this meeting today. As for others who are unfortunately no longer among us, we bow before their memory and contribution,” he said.

Minister Manja emphasized that with the justice reform, thanks to the constitutional changes, the School of Magistrates was elevated to the level of a body laid down in the Constitution.

“Thanks to the constitutional changes as part of the justice reform, today the school is the only gateway to the profession of judge and prosecutor. The admission criteria were conceived from the beginning of the reform as being accessible only to candidates with a very serious professional and ethical background. Throughout these years, the School has had to respond to the growing needs for new judges and prosecutors, but with a single mission: for the sake of speed, it should never compromise on the quality of the magistrates who will serve the system. Today, more than ever, it is necessary for the School of Magistrates to embrace a new vision. In addition to the technical knowledge of the profession, the School must equip students with the “craft of the judge and  prosecutor,” which, beyond the knowledge of books, is based on the ability to handle any case with  justice and equality. Today the School must look ahead to be a multifunctional center of practical legal training for public and private sector law professionals. The School of Magistrates must be a center of excellence of professional legal thought to serve lawmaking with the entire corpus of practical experience it has gained over the years. The best example to illustrate this contribution is the intensive work done by the School’s teachers in the co-drafting of the new Penal Code. We must not only follow them, but also strengthen these bridges of cooperation that we have built, in order to ensure a quality lawmaking,” said Manja.

Manja also emphasized that the government expresses its commitment to meet  the needs of the School of Magistrates.

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