Justice minister upbeat during presentation of her time in post

Justice Minister Stephie Dracou offered a positive review of her time in the post on Tuesday ahead of president-elect Nikos Christodoulides’ incoming government.

Dracou, appointed in June 2021 after the resignation of Emily Yiolitis, said that key reforms and checkpoints had been reached which unlocked EU funding through the Recovery and Resilience plan.

“We are faced today by a new challenge, and that is the implementation of the plans so that the benefits reach each person, this is now the responsibility of the supreme court and the new government,” she said at a presentation.

She pointed to the creation of the anti-corruption authority as one of the high points.

But the Cyprus Mail reported in November that the newly established authority was having to hire experts from abroad as locals were refusing to assist in investigations such as the passport programme.

On Tuesday, Dracou pointed to an overarching theme of the ministry’s latest work: ensuring equality for each individual. She pointed to bills which were passed which further protect the rights of women, children, the LGBTI+ community and others.

Elsewhere, she emphasised that within 20 months under her stewardship the ministry achieved a rich legislative output. Dracou explained that 80 bills were sent to parliament, of which 46 were approved.

Front and centre of those reforms is the overhaul of the justice system, aimed at reducing the debilitating backlog of court cases.

In January, Dracou said she had received the study for the establishment of the courts service.

The project is co-funded by the EU and the Council of Europe, which managed the programme, and aims to set up the independent courts service which will partake in the management, administration and support of the courts.

Dracou said that some of the core improvements will be seen through a better support system for judges which will allow them to focus more sharply on their judicial duties.

It also aims to improve budgeting, planning, risk management, strategic planning, better management of resources and modernisation of the courts.

As for the prisons, Dracou dodged the prison saga scandal which played out during her term; instead stating that efforts have been made to improve prisoners’ reintroduction into society and reduce recidivism rates.