Online Seminar on Ethics and disciplinary Processes

Graphics: IRZ
Graphics: IRZ
Bosnia and Herzegovina

On 24 February 2021, an online seminar on the “Judicial Code of Ethics and the Practice of disciplinary Processes” was organised by the Centre for Judicial and Prosecutorial Training of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina (CEST FBiH) and IRZ. 69 judges and public prosecutors took part in the event. The high number of participants underlined the significance of the subject.

Dr. Davor Trlin opened the event on behalf of the CEST FBiH, whilst IRZ Head of Section Dr. Stefan Pürner welcomed the participants on behalf of IRZ. The speaker at the seminar was the former President of the Constitutional Court of the State of Saxony-Anhalt and of the Higher Regional Court of Naumberg and long-standing Senior Public Prosecutor, Winfried Schubert.

In the first section of his two-part lecture, Winfried Schubert outlined the way the disciplinary process for judges and public prosecutors works in Germany, with the help of some practical examples.

The second part of his lecture focussed on the judicial code of ethics. The speaker pointed out that appropriate behaviour does not just concern the circumstances of the case, which could become the subject of a disciplinary process. Winfried Schubert talked about judicial self-perception and the danger of self-righteousness amongst judges. He also discussed the risk of judges being influenced in their decisions by their own personal moral understanding, instead of construing the law. He stressed the importance of a realistic self-perception and self-image in overcoming these challenges.