Nikolas Tsardellis pointed out that the State must finally realize that it should invest in justice.
The justice delivery system has been paralyzed for two weeks, the Vice-President of the Pancypriot Bar Association (PDA), Nikolas Tsardellis, said on Friday, noting at the same time that the State should invest in justice and that frivolous approaches should be stopped.
Speaking to journalists outside the Nicosia District Court during the one-hour work stoppage that lawyers took today from 10:30 to 11:30 as a sign of protest against the weaknesses arising from the electronic platform e-justice, Mr. Tsardellis said that the one-hour work stoppage is being held by the entire legal world and in all the provinces of Cyprus, outside the provincial courts "to express our indignation, our displeasure at the disparity we are facing".
"For two weeks now, our work has been paralyzed, the justice delivery system has been paralyzed, as well as the law firms," he said.
He pointed out that the State must finally realize that it should invest in justice, give importance to justice saying that the frivolous approaches "that brought us today to be unable to function" must be stopped.
Seriousness is required from everyone, he continued, noting that "we need a solution to the problem we are facing". He explained that the e-justice system was put into operation two weeks ago and from the first moment it has been facing serious problems.
Mr. Tsardellis noted that beyond the functionality, from the system not being stabilized, the processes within the system are problematic and lawyers are spending a huge amount of time trying to get their work done through the system.
He also mentioned that for ten days temporary access was given through physical registrations stating that as the All Cyprus Bar Association, "we consider this solution temporary. We demand to have an electronic justice system like we had until two weeks ago".
Mr. Tsardellis also said that the much-advertised transition to electronic justice is not a reality, saying that there was electronic justice until January 13 and since January 15 this has stopped and the State should immediately find the solutions.
"Yesterday we heard statements from the Deputy Minister of Innovation that from Monday we will have a return to i-justice", said Mr. Tsardellis adding that "we have our reservations as to whether this is possible. I wish this could be done in such a short time."
Asked what they intend to do if there is no improvement in the system by Monday, Mr. Tsardellis said that the Bar Association and lawyers will continue to express their dissatisfaction with this situation until the State finds a solution and "to be able to function".
Mr Tsardellis said it was bad for the justice system and the poor building facilities in Nicosia, which he said had been promised for decades to be upgraded.
The statements of the President of the Nicosia Bar Association, Stefanos Skordis, went along the same lines, who said that "we were promised a functioning system to take justice forward and unfortunately what we have received has set us back decades".
He said that the State should immediately find the solutions and deliver a functional electronic justice system and in the meantime all measures should be taken to secure and not affect the rights of citizens who resort to justice.
"Justice is the pillar of the rule of law and it should not be the poor relative, on the contrary, it should be a priority," Mr. Skordis pointed out.
In his statements to the KYPE, the President of the Paphos Bar Association, Iasonas Telemachos, stated that "it is unacceptable for such phenomena to exist in 2024".
Mr. Telemahou called on the authorities "to assume their responsibilities and not to make justice a toy or a guinea pig and let the lawyers be confident".
Answering a question, he said that representations were made on behalf of the Pancypriot Bar Association to the Contracting Authority and the Contracting Company, but the temporary solution of the physical registration in order not to paralyze everything was a suggestion of the legal world.