The president of the Supreme Court of Justice, Jorge Subero Isa, has told Diario Libre that there is a new effort underway to convene the National Council of the Magistrates with the purpose of appointing new Supreme Court justices. He said this would be in violation of the Constitution, however, and attributed the move to a false rumor circulating that some of the present Supreme Court justices have placed their positions up for the consideration of the magistrates? council to expedite changes in the composition of the Supreme Court. Subero Isa has issued similar alerts previously, saying the government wants a more complacent Supreme Court.
Subero Isa spoke in the presence of the visiting president of the Corte de Casacion of France, Guy Canivet, and French Ambassador Jean-Claude Moyret.
?I believe that any attempt to make changes in the composition of the Supreme Court judges would not have the support, neither from the national community, and much less from the international community,? he is quoted in Diario Libre as having said.
Subero Isa said that the 22 presidents of the Supreme Court took part in an event in the DR last week and were updated on the goings on. According to him, this group would take a stand if the PRD-majority senate moves to change the makeup of the court. Subero Isa expressed his hopefulness that the actions to convene the National Council of the Magistrates are merely rumors, and not reality.
He furthermore said that rooting out corruption is one subject the Judicial Branch has yet to tackle: ?I believe it is the only subject we have pending to accomplish, with high marks.? He said that the judges must give clear indications that they are willing to fight corruption. It is to these people, he concluded, that corruption cases have been entrusted, but they have not had the will power to act.