Judiciary to notify plaintiffs of targeted length of judicial proceedings in Turkey

Oya Armutçu – ANKARA

The justice system will as of Sept. 1 notify plaintiffs of when their legal cases are due to be concluded at the time of a lawsuit being opened, in an attempt to accelerate judicial proceedings in Turkey. 

Plaintiffs will be provided a notice indicating the date of their court hearing, relevant for criminal procedures, as well as when their case is due to be finalized, according to the relevant by-law published in the Official Gazette on June 23.

When deciding on whether to promote judges and prosecutors, the authorities will take into account whether they have abided by these dates and thus efficiently managed their cases. 

The project was initiated after Justice Minister Bekir Bozdağ criticized the al extended length of judicial proceedings in Turkey. 

“The lengthy justice periods have lead to criticism. With a new regulation, taking into account the views of the Board of Judges and Prosecutors [HSK], we will determine target periods for when investigations and prosecutions will be finished. Our citizens who opened a lawsuit will thereby have a chance to learn in advance when their cases will be completed,” Bozdağ was quoted as saying.  

The determined target periods will be announced on the Justice Ministry’s website and then sent to the justice commission directorates through the chief public prosecutor’s offices.