The results of the referendum of the Athens Bar Association on the new judicial map in Attica promoted by the Ministry of Justice, and specifically on the establishment of 6 new courts of first instance in Attica, were announced.
The 8,821 Athenian lawyers who came to the DSA polls, with a percentage of 90.14%, rejected the new judicial charter. In particular, 7,847 voted against the bill, a percentage of 90.14% and 858 voted in favor of the bill, a percentage of 9.86%.
After the announcement of the results, the president of the DSA, Dimitris Vervesos, in his statement points out that the result of the referendum “is not a simple number: It is our voice against their sloppiness and arrogance”.
In particular, Mr. Vervesos stated:
“With a large participation of the lawyers of Athens, similar to that of 2018 in the legislative initiative of the government at the time, the referendum organized by the DSA for the 6+2 courts of first instance in Attica was completed, as provided for in the draft law of the Ministry of Justice to be voted on in the Parliament.
As can be seen from the result, the vast majority of lawyers in Athens expressed their absolute opposition to the multi-division of the Athens and Piraeus courts of first instance and to the establishment and operation of six (6) new regional courts of first instance.
At the same time, he sent a loud message:
A) To all those who proclaim the leveling of lawyers as a final development of any disagreement with the establishment logic. The same logics that presided over the imposition of objective taxation criteria and dictated the anachronistic regulations of the new Penal Codes.
B) To those who were jealous of the “Kontoni glory” and the then inappropriate attempt to divide the Court of First Instance of Athens with the further division into 6 new courts of first instance in Attica.
C) To those who dream of limiting procedural rules and guarantees in politics and criminal proceedings and attempt to target lawyers as the main culprits of the delays and bad writings of the Greek Justice.
D) To those who try to discredit our institutional role and make difficult the conditions for the daily exercise of our function.
E) And of course, close to them, to the supporters of this government choice in the Athens Bar Association. To those who did not have the courage of their opinion, whether they agree or not with this legislative arrangement, attempting to break the unity of the body contrary to what they had done in 2018 and downplaying the importance of the referendum citing pretextual excuses for not conducting it. Only international observers did not ask to guarantee his inviolability.
The vast majority of lawyers, institutionally and en masse, sent a decisive message. Faithful to the struggles and traditions of the body, it will continue to fight for the dignity of the lawyer, as a co-worker of Justice, to ensure the appropriate conditions for the exercise of his work, to defend the right of citizens to judicial protection, for the Rule of Law.
Today’s result is not a simple number: It is our voice against their sloppiness and arrogance.”
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