During a debate on the new judicial map on Now, a daily evening show on Euronews Albania, attorney Alesia Balliu maintained that dislocating courts into a single one not only burdens lawyers but citizens too.
The new map has met the opposition of several attorneys, who argue that reducing the number of first instance courts to a total of twelve for the whole country will push the citizens away from courts, in addition to other social repercussions.
“If the appeal court is in Tirana, a citizen will need 5 hours to come from Puka. So if the trial starts at 9 AM, he will have to leave home at 4 AM. Attorney costs will also go up and they will get tariffed as much as Tirana’s lawyers do because these costs will have to be covered by the citizens”, Balliu said.
She said that the main problem with the new judicial map is distance.
“It’s about court access. Costs will have to be covered by clients. Many law offices located nearby courts will face closure. I don’t agree with this initiative”, she concluded.
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