The State Litigation Authority Club said the State Litigation Authority will not be complacent regarding attempts to undermine it.
The State Litigation Authority said it is holding on to the powers it had in Article 179 of the now suspended 2012 Constitution.
The State Litigation Authority was described in the 2012 Constitution as “an independent judicial authority that manages the civil prosecution and legal representation of the state in conflicts and manages the technical monitoring of legal affairs of the state’s administrative body.” It also stated that the authority drafts contracts and settles conflicts to which the state is party.
Saturday’s statement said this article was agreed upon by the “heads of all judicial authorities.”
Amendments made by a legal experts committee to the 2012 Constitution saw powers of the State Litigation Authority diminish. Article 167 of the final draft of amendments reads: “The State Litigation Authority is an independent judicial authority that acts on behalf of the state in legal conflicts and suggests settlements to conflicts.”
The final draft of amendments was handed to a 50-member Constituent Assembly.
In September, the State Litigation Authority called on the 50-member Constituent Assembly to reconsider several of the changes made by the legal experts committee to the 2012 constitution. It also warned that changes made to the authority’s jurisdictions may “open the door for more corruption.”
The State Litigation Authority’s Club said in the statement that the powers of issuing legal advisory opinions and reviewing laws and contracts to which the state is party are returned to the State Litigation Authority.
It also called on the members of judicial authorities to “commit to judicial traditions” when dealing with one another. Judicial authorities have been involved in a heated debate over the past few weeks regarding what powers each judicial authority should have.
Earlier this month, the State Council and its Judges Club strongly rejected proposed amendments to the 2012 constitution, which would see a portion of the State Council’s jurisdiction trimmed.
