On 25 July, President Edgars Rinkēvičs met Minister of Justice Inese Lībiņa-Egnere at the Riga Castle to discuss issues of penal policy, protection against violence, enforcement of Constitutional Court judgments, as well as cooperation with the Judicial Council and the planned establishment of the Justice Academy.
During the meeting, President Rinkēvičs raised the issue of the current penal policy in Latvia, especially in cases concerning national security. There was an exchange of views on how to ensure that sentencing policy is consistent in court rulings and prosecutors' sentencing orders and whether there is a need for judicial control over prosecutors' sentencing orders.
"The Ministry of Justice has a special role to play in protecting and strengthening a democratic, legal state and ensuring the highest standard of human rights protection. The Ministry of Justice also plays an important role in ensuring the work of Latvian courts, given that the Ministry of Justice is currently responsible for the budget of the courts of the lower instances," the President of Latvia said.
President Rinkēvičs welcomed the recent entry into force of amendments to the Criminal Law and the Criminal Procedure Law, which had been drafted by the Ministry of Justice, thus strengthening the protection of victims of violence.
During the conversation, the President of Latvia referred to his recent working visit to Krāslava Municipality on 21 July. During the visit, representatives of the municipality of Krāslava drew the President's attention to the fact that the cadastral surveying of buildings and registration of cadastral data in the State Land Service is delayed, in some cases taking about six months. Without these activities, the client cannot put the constructed facility into operation, even if the commissioning of the object is connected with the implementation schedule of the European Regional Development Fund projects. This prevents local authorities from starting services to the public and the operator may lose investors. President Rinkēvičs asked the Minister of Justice to pay attention to this issue, as it has the closest connection with the promotion of entrepreneurship.
During the meeting, the President of Latvia was interested in the work on the development of laws to comply with the judgments of the Constitutional Court in 2020 and 2021, which emphasised the obligation to ensure legal recognition and protection of all families, including families of same-sex partners, stems from the Constitution.
Work on the establishment of a Justice Academy was also discussed. It is envisaged that from 1 January 2025, the Academy of Justice will function as a single centre for further training of judges, court staff, prosecutors and assistant prosecutors.
President Rinkēvičs was informed about the actions of the Prison administration staff during the escape of a prisoner from the Riga Central prison on 23 July.
