President of the Supreme Court Bertan Özerdağ explained his goals and work to the Turkish News Agency Cyprus (TAK) reporter.

Özerdağ talked about the digitalization efforts of the courts and stated that they aim to partially transition to a paperless litigation process, partially eliminating hard copy files by 2025.

Özerdağ said that the website of the courts, which will be active this weekend, has been organized in accordance with the era, and noted that a separate website has been prepared for the Supreme Electoral Council for the first time.

Stating that there will be a major change in enforcement proceedings with the amendment made in the Civil Procedure Regulation, Özerdağ explained that a great success and speed will be achieved in enforcement proceedings and fraudulent evasion of property from enforcement will be prevented.

Özerdağ emphasized that unregistered debts and unfair interest should be prevented and said, "We must protect the public."

Drawing attention to the increase in drug and domestic violence crimes, Özerdağ underlined that the courts impose deterrent penalties for such crimes and will not tolerate them.

Özerdağ underlined that the courts are the most reliable institution among public institutions with the strongest staff of judges and personnel.

"PAPERLESS AND FILE-FREE TRIALS WILL SPEED UP THE JUDICIAL PROCESS"

Supreme Court President Bertan Özerdağ announced that the website of the Courts, which has not been updated since 2007, has been reorganized to be compatible with mobile devices using artificial intelligence.

Stating that all legislation and court decisions can be accessed on the website of the courts with the help of artificial intelligence, Özerdağ stated that they took action after determining that there were some problems in the searches on the existing site. Özerdağ added that the searches on the new website's search engine will be powered by artificial intelligence and that he believes it will be more useful.

Court websites around the world are the most important database and source of access to information. Noting that the updated website is now comparable to those of the courts in developed countries, Özerdağ stated, "We also made adjustments to the content. We have organized our website in accordance with the era."

Bertan Özerdağ, who stated that many processes, such as filing, file tracking, and fee payments, are still being carried out through the lawyer portal, also noted that lawyers can access the lawyer portal via mobile devices to perform tasks such as filing, viewing files, and paying fees.

"The next step is to conduct trials in courtrooms without paper files," said Özerdağ, indicating that the goal is to eliminate paper-based trials by 2025, and he stated that it would speed up processes.

Özerdağ emphasized, "We are in the process of strengthening the information systems," and noted that the court is ready for the electronic system for service of process, which will "eliminate paper traffic", and that it can be implemented once the e-government system is complete. Özerdağ also pointed out that the digitization in the courts and electronic service of process would accelerate the finalization of cases.

Özerdağ also mentioned that a separate website for the Supreme Electoral Council has been prepared for the first time. He expressed his appreciation for the court's information technology team, stating that it is very competent.

"FRAUDULENT EVASION OF ASSETS FROM ENFORCEMENT WILL BE PREVENTED”

Supreme Court President Bertan Özerdağ expressed the amendments made to the Civil Procedure Regulation, which is expected to come into effect at the end of August.

Özerdağ explained that the regulation amendment under Chapter 6 of the Civil Procedure Law would bring significant improvements and opportunities to achieve results in enforcement. He stated that, following a judgment against convicted debtors, an online system created in cooperation with the Banking Association would allow immediate seizure of the debtor's deposits in the country's banks and transfer them to the court, where the amount would be paid to the creditor. He also explained that a portion of the convicted debtor's salary, either from the public or private sector, would be directly paid to the court by the employer as determined by the court, ensuring payment to the creditors. Özerdağ added that the electronic system developed in cooperation with the Banking Association, aimed at this practice, is in its final stages.

Özerdağ also explained that if a judgment is made against the motor vehicles registered in the name of convicted debtors, immediate precautionary measures will be taken, including the imposition of a transfer ban and the sale of the vehicles. He also noted that motor vehicles or valuable assets fraudulently transferred to family members or third parties to evade enforcement could become subject to seizure, preventing fraudulent attempts to evade enforcement.

Özerdağ also mentioned the goal of establishing permanent sales centers for movable assets held in enforcement. He stated that this would allow the seized assets to be sold easily, enabling the creditor to receive payment quickly and the debtor to be relieved of their debt in a short period of time.

UNJUST INTEREST...

Özerdağ noted that although the number of lawsuits has decreased compared to the past, there are still cases of unjust interest rates and unjust debts. He emphasized, "We must protect the public," and stressed the importance of addressing unregistered loans and unjust interest rates in the financial sector.

CONDITIONAL RELEASE REGULATION...

Özerdağ also highlighted the importance of the Conditional Release Regulation, explaining that the principle of punishment is the rehabilitation of offenders and reintegration into society, for the public interest with deterrent and exemplary penalties for individuals prone to crime.

He stated that merely imposing long prison sentences does not have a rehabilitative effect and emphasized that when powers under the Conditional Release Regulation are exercised, it is essential to ensure that the prisoners have genuinely been rehabilitated and are ready to be reintegrated into society. Özerdağ also noted that modern criminal law includes public service and modern enforcement rules, and that legislation should be amended to enable the implementation of such sentences.

Özerdağ added that there is a need to address shortcomings in the supervision and monitoring of drug addicts benefiting from probation to ensure more careful monitoring.

 “NO TOLERANCE FOR DRUG AND DOMESTIC VIOLENCE OFFENSES”

Regarding current issues, Supreme Court President Bertan Özerdağ drew attention to the significant increase in drug-related crimes and domestic violence crimes. He emphasized that courts do not show tolerance toward individuals involved in import of drugs or drug dealing.

“There has been a serious increase in drug import - giving (trafficking), possession, and sales offenses, Özerdağ said, reiterating that the courts have no tolerance towards those who smuggle and sell drugs, as can be seen from the judgments.

Özerdağ stated, "Anyone involved in drug trafficking, selling drugs, or helping with the sale will be severely punished. We will not allow anyone to poison our children and youth, who are the future of this country, for the sake of making money. As the Court, it is inevitable that these individuals will be given deterrent and exemplary sentences."

Stating that the police are working very well in drug crimes, Özerdağ expressed the expectation that the state should carry out more effective policies on this issue and pointed out the importance of education and protection activities, preventive measures and supervision, especially starting from schools and families. 

 "EFFECTIVE PENALTIES FOR DOMESTIC VIOLENCE CRIMES ARE INEVITABLE"

Özerdağ also pointed out the serious rise in domestic violence offenses, emphasizing that effective penalties must be imposed for such offenses, and that the courts will not show tolerance in these cases.

Özerdağ stated, "Women and children should feel that they are under the protection of the state," and expressed the expectation that the state take more steps for effective supervision and prevention in this area.

Özerdağ said "There has been an increase in such crimes in divorced families, and that children of divorced parents can be psychologically affected. Steps should be taken to minimize the impact of divorces on children and young people, given the high divorce rates in the country. My advice to divorced parents is to ensure that children and young people are not affected by the problems between spouses."

 “I HAVE GREAT CONFIDENCE IN OUR JUDGES”

Bertan Özerdağ also spoke about the staff of judges and the reliability of the courts.

Özerdağ highlighted that the staff of judges, which he described as "young, dynamic, well-educated, and reliable,” is at a level comparable to the most developed countries in the world.

He also mentioned that three newly appointed judges, who had studied abroad, are fluent in foreign languages, and will contribute significantly to the judiciary in the long term. Özerdağ expressed great confidence in the judiciary staff.

Özerdağ shared that a recent survey conducted in June 2024 confirmed that the courts are regarded as the most trustworthy institution in the country, and he said “The fact that the level of reliability in this survey has reached the highest rate to date has also created great satisfaction for us.”