SNP to challenge supreme court
Sunday, 29 May 2011 12:00 AM
By politics.co.uk staff
The supreme court's interventions in Scottish law on human rights issues are to be challenged by the Scottish National party (SNP).
In one of the SNP's first high-profile moves challenging London after the party won a rare overall majority in Holyrood elections earlier this month, it will seek to defend Scotland's legal system from interference by the supreme court.
Judges in London remitted the case of Nat Fraser, who had been convicted for murder in 2003, to the Scottish court of criminal appeal, effectively quashing his conviction.
"Scotland's distinct legal system, including our criminal law, has served our country well for centuries, ensuring justice for victims while also protecting the rights of those accused of a crime," the BBC quoted a spokesperson for Scottish justice secretary Kenny Macaskill as saying.
"We believe the UK supreme court should have no role in matters of Scots criminal law - a view supported by Scotland's leading legal figures."
The Scottish Cabinet will meet on Tuesday to discuss its options. They are likely to seek a direct route to Strasbourg, where the European court of human rights sits, in a bid to end the supreme court's involvement where Scots law clashes with human rights laws.
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