The constitutional law committee of the Finnish Parliament is asking for clarifications on why trials are often delayed in Finland.
The committee is asking for reports from the Ministry for Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Justice, the office of the Prosecutor General, and the Finnish Bar Association.
The Ministry for Foreign Affairs is being asked to supply information on how many times the European Court of Human Rights has found against Finland in such cases. The Foreign Ministry is also expected to report on how many complaints have been filed against Finland.
The Ministry of Justice is being asked to give an overall assessment of reasons for delays in trials. The committee is also calling on the ministry to propose ways to solve the problem. The Prosecutor General’s office and the Finnish Bar Association are to be asked for assessments of reasons for the current situation, and suggestions on what might be done to rectify it.
The committee emphasises that all with business before a court have the right to have the matter dealt with properly and without undue delay. Finland has received a number of negative rulings from the European Court of Human Rights, specifically for excessive duration of legal processes.
The constitutional law committee expects responses to its requests by mid-October at the latest.
