Juan Luis Lorenzo sees the delay in the construction of the ‘City of Justice’ in Santa Cruz de Tenerife as “exasperating”
SANTA CRUZ DE TENERIFE, Oct. 16 (EUROPA PRESS) –
The president of the Superior Court of Justice of the Canary Islands (TSJC), Juan Luis Lorenzo, warned this Monday that “all the alarm signals are going off” in the Canary Islands judicial system and there is a risk of “collapse.”
In an intervention before the Government, Autonomous Development and Justice Commission of the Parliament of the Canary Islands to present the report corresponding to 2022, he stated that there are “worrying data” and that “more and better means are needed” in order to “guarantee independence.” of the judiciary”.
Lorenzo, who ironically said that the judiciary “is the weakest” — “we don’t even have the budget to buy a pen” — insisted that without adequate means “it is difficult to talk about rights to effective protection,” and despite the “fluid relationship” and “institutional loyalty” with the Canarian Government, he understands that more resources are needed.
Lorenzo has detailed that the dynamics of 2023 “does not change substantially” to that of 2022, when litigation increased by 6% over the previous year – in all bodies except the contentious-administrative -, with the islands at the head of the State with 181 cases per 1,000 inhabitants, ten points more.
It has also indicated that in 2022, complaints of violence against women increased by 8.4%, bankruptcies and claims for dismissal and also those for divorce increased, leading in Spain with 248 per 100,000 inhabitants.
Faced with these data, he highlighted the “high performance” of the administration of justice in the Canary Islands, with a 1.6% increase in the resolution rate of procedures, although the pendency increased by 11%, a situation that “has worsened” this year. year due to the strike of lawyers and civil servants.
Lorenzo has described as “pressing” the need to establish ten new courts, while regretting that last year five were created but three will not come into force until June in Granadilla (Tenerife) and San Bartolomé de Tirajana (Gran Canaria) due to the lack of premises.
He has also pointed out that the new courts cannot follow a “mathematical rule” by population but rather take into account the rate of litigation since in the specific case of the Canary Islands, for example, it is necessary to take into account the “de facto population” derived from the tourism and the impact of service economies on litigation.
As an example of the delay in infrastructure, he has described the construction of the new City of Justice in Santa Cruz de Tenerife as “exasperating” and the transfer of the ‘Auditorium’ building, which was to serve as a “transitional solution”, has not been undertaken either.
PLOT FOR THE COURT PALACE OF PUERTO DEL ROSARIO
At least, Lorenzo has assessed that there is already an agreement on the plot on which the new Palace of Justice in Puerto del Rosario (Fuerteventura) will be built.
He has especially attacked the judicial districts of Granadilla and San Bartolomé de Tirajana because they are “deficient” in terms of resources, hence the principle of judicial protection is an “entelechy.”
Lorenzo does not understand the refusal of the Granadilla City Council to create a unified judicial party with Arona that allows for the provision of “adequate services” and more “specialization” and wonders if “it seems more important to have a court at the door of the house even if it does not work.” “Resources must be managed efficiently,” he stressed.
In this sense, he has pointed out that “the benchmark” in terms of judicial facilities is the City of Justice of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, which “is the 22nd century” and a “standard” to which we must aspire in the rest of the Canary Islands. than with planning for ten or fifteen years. “It is essential,” she said.
The president of the TSJC has also requested computer improvements, since the ‘Atlante’ system is not approved, and also “temporary reinforcement measures” since 50% of the support program “has declined”, which represents a “serious setback “for judicial efficiency.
“LACK OF COORDINATION” BETWEEN ADMINISTRATIONS
Lorenzo has also criticized the “lack of coordination” between administrations given that many positions are endorsed by the General Council of the Judiciary and the Ministry itself and then are not appointed, despite having funding, and called for the creation of offices to care for the victims and improve the legal medicine institutes.
He has also said that the appointment of trials arrives at the latest in mid-2024 – when in some cities on the Peninsula the year 2027 is reached – but it is because there is a “bag of unreported matters” in such a way that if If everyone determined, “the agenda” would be filled until the end of 2025.
Lorenzo has predicted that the strike by lawyers and officials will negatively affect the closing of this course and has defended the path of conciliation to resolve discrepancies since the court “must be the last resort.”
He has indicated that “the important thing is to change mentalities”, stressing that the magistrates do not want “more lawsuits, only the necessary and essential ones”, and for this reason, he has valued the implementation of the ‘Educating in Justice’ program with the help of the Ministry of Education of the Government of the Canary Islands to promote a “change in attitudes” among the new generations.
Likewise, he has defended the activity of the court for child victims of violence in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, which will be extended and will even try to be implemented in Tenerife and which will have an island radius of action and presence in the peripheral islands. through telematic means.
