The impact of the transformation of the justice system on ensuring the independence of judges, prosecutors, and investigators

Abstract

The article examines the transformation processes of the domestic justice system over the past thirty years. The influence of structurally applied modifications of the system on its intangible aspects (independence, internal conviction, freedom of assessment, etc.), contributing to the administration and achievement of justice, is evaluated. Particular attention is paid to the study of the impact of justice reforms on the independence of its institutions and representatives because without guarantees and a state of independence, justice loses its meaning and turns into its opposite. According to the results of the study, it was revealed that organizational and structural measures to ensure the independence of the main subjects of legal proceedings were not complex, individual, and local in nature. The restructuring of the investigating authorities and the prosecutor’s office in 2007–2019, as well as the modification of the judicial system, were aimed at minimizing interdepartmental and interinstitutional dependence. However, the transformations did not affect the aspect of ensuring intra-departmental and intra-institutional independence of their subjects. As a result, the administrative dependence of an ordinary employee of the justice system in regard to his immediate supervisor remained at the same level. An assessment of the shortcomings of the reform made it possible to predict that the structuring of the justice system in the short and medium term will not lead to increased independence of investigators, prosecutors, and judges as a key and expected result. Ultimately, it will be reflected in the fact that for a long time these representatives did not subordinate to the law, but conversely they were placed in a position controlled by higher management and taught to properly comply with requirements.