The judiciary and the government are poised to pick the new Supreme Court Chief Justice and Prosecutor after the terms of Vasileios Peppas and Xeni Dimitriou, respectively, end on 30 June, at the end of the judicial year.
Peppas, age 71, whose term began in September, 2017, is retiring due to the age limit.
The selection process begins with the pre-selection by the judiciary of the pool of six high court judges to fill the top posts in civil and criminal justice.
The final choice will be made by the cabinet upon the recommendation of Justice Minister Michalis Kalogirou.
The names of various candidates are already being discussed in the hallways of the Supreme Court, but judicial sources note that the selection process, which is based on the legal prowess and moral standing of candidates, is just now beginning.
The justice ministry announcement on the selection process is as follows:
“By Acts of the cabinet pursuant to the recommendation of Justice, Transparency, and Human Rights Minister Michalis Kalogirou, the process mandated by the Constitution and [related] laws to appoint the President and Prosecutor of the Supreme Court as well as three vice-presidents of the Council of State has commenced. The same process will be followed for the selection of three Supreme Court vice-presidents.
“The process under existing provisions will continue with the issuance of an opinion by the Conference of Parliament’s Presidents [deputy speakers appointed by the parliamentary parties] following a hearing with each of the pre-selected candidates, and will be completed with the issuance of a Presidential Decree regarding promotion to these posts, following the recommendation of the cabinet.”
