High Commissioner meets new Secretary of Justice

At the invitation of Robert Gelli, Anne Eastwood, accompanied by her deputy Cécile Vacarie-Bernard, visited the Palais de Justice on 26 November for an initial working meeting, after Mr Gelli took up his post as the new Secretary of Justice and President of the Council of State on 21 October 2019.

The meeting, which was extremely cordial, provided an opportunity to discuss the role of Monaco’s independent public human rights institution and for an update on the cases currently under review with the Department of Justice.

The High Commissioner particularly welcomed the very constructive collaboration that had been established over the last few years with the Department and with staff at the Remand Prison regarding the handling of cases submitted by prisoners. She expressed her hope that this working relationship based on a good understanding and transparency would continue in the future, further strengthening the quality of cooperation and dialogue with the judiciary during consideration of the resulting recommendations, which are often general in nature.

For his part, the new Secretary of Justice stated that he was highly conscious of the role delegated to the High Commissioner with respect to protecting human rights and individual freedoms, and was keen to listen to the recommendations put forward by this independent institution in the interests of litigants and the proper functioning of the public justice system in the Principality.