The amendments to the Code of Criminal Process proposed by the president are aimed at accelerating judicial proceedings, the President's Office comments.
"It is intolerable to see adjournments that do not last a few hours or a few days but take from spring to fall. Lengthy proceedings do not only cause the public to be disappointed with courts but lead to lost and costly cases in Strasbourg court. Unnecessary adjournments in judicial proceedings should not hinder justice," Grybauskaitė said.
Over the past 20 years, Lithuania has lost 68 cases at the European Court of Human Rights, nearly a third of them due to lengthy judicial proceedings.
Grybauskaitė has suggested envisaging a maximum one-month adjournment between court hearings, saying that longer breaks would be allowed in exceptional cases only. Such legal practice applies in other European countries.
According to the proposed amendments, parties in a case should have an opportunity to turn to a court of higher instance if a judge fails to abide by the time-frame of hearings, a practice already applied in civil cases.
The president also suggested simplifying and accelerating hearing of cases when suspects plead guilty and all parties agree to waive investigation of evidence.
