Head of Mission and Chief Justice Chancellor of Palestine meet

Yesterday, the Head of the EU Police and Rule of Law Mission for the Palestinian Territory, Kauko Aaltomaa met with the Chief Justice Chancellor, Emad Saleem Sa’ad.

The meeting took place in a positive and constructive atmosphere, in which the Chief Justice and the Head of Mission discussed current issues relating to unfolding the Mission’s mandate in the context of Rule of Law within the Chief Justice’s purview. The Head of Mission thanked the Chief Justice for the good cooperation in setting common priorities and planning the collaboration with the Mission, and commended the very cooperative spirit. The Chief Justice applauded the continuous cooperation with the Mission towards the objectives of a developed justice systems in line with the best international standards.

Continuous training of Palestinian judges
The Head of Mission underlined the importance of continued enhancement of the Palestinian judge’s professional skills through trainings and workshops offered by the Mission and the donor community at large, and enquired as to the Chief Justice’s policy for judge’s participation in such capacity enhancement activities. The Chief Justice recognized the importance of such trainings received on subjects such as money laundering, terrorism, cyber-crime, banking operations, etc. welcoming the support EUPOL COPPS is providing in this respect.

Reforming the Judicial Authority Law
Mr. Aaltomaa was also briefed on the progress of the amendment of the Judicial Authority Law and the ongoing work of the National Committee in this respect. The Chief Justice emphasized the essential aspect for a developed society to have an independent judiciary – not least in the light of the upcoming discussions on the reform of the Judicial Authority Law.

The Head of Mission was accompanied by the Head of the Rule of Law Section, Giovanni Galzignato, and used the meeting to introduce the new Deputy Head of Mission and Chief of Staff, Dr. Katja Dominik and the Mission’s new Justice Expert, Andres Moreno, to the Chief Justice.

Photo: From left: Judge Imad Maswadeh from the Chief Justice's Office; Deputy Head of Mission and Chief of Staff; Dr. Katja Dominik, Head of the EU Coordinating Office for Palestinian Police Support (EUPOL COPPS), Kauko Aaltomaa; the Chief Justice Chancellor of Palestine, Emad Saleem Sa’ad; and Head of the Rule of Law Section, Giovanni Galzignato.