Serbian Justice Minister Snezana Malovic denied on Monday the comments made by the Judges' Association of Serbia and the Association of Prosecutors, which said that the bill of amendments to the Law on Judges will deprive the Constitutional Court of authority to decide on appeals submitted by judges and prosecutors who lost their jobs.

Malovic told reporters in the parliament that the bill will not be withdrawn from the parliamentary procedure, as requested by the two associations, and explained that such a solution does not exclude the possibility of appealing the decision before the Constitutional Court.

“It is true that appeals will now be transferred to the jurisdiction of the High Judicial Council, which will decide on such pleas. From now on, the dismissal procedure will include the option of objection, but this does not exclude the possibility of appealing the decision before the Constitutional Court,” Malovic said.

She added that the proposed bills are in keeping with the opinions of the European Commission and the Venice Commission.