The Case of General Pinochet

1. What warrant did the Spanish authorities apply for and on what charges?

2. On what grounds did General Pinochet apply for his release from detention?

3. Who was the case tried by and why was the ruling set aside and the case heard afresh?

4. What courts may guarantee the correct application of the law if a legal system goes wrong?

Piso’s Justice

1. Who was Piso and what Latin saying is he famous for?

2. What is the modern meaning of this statement?

3. What powers do Parliament and the police have?

III. Draw up the plan for rendering the text and then summarize it. Working in pairs find the information on the following themes:

1. Main characteristics of the judiciary.

2. Cases of judicial corruption in the UK legal history.

3. The value and importance of an independent judiciary.

IV. Discuss the following issues:

A: Picture discussion.

1. Describe the details of this statue, which stands above the famous court in London.

2. Discuss the symbolic significance of the sword and the scales.

3. Find the information in the Internet (photos, video, documents etc.) on the system of justice that operates in your country and make presentations in class.

4. How confident are you that you would be acquitted if you were charged with a crime that you had not committed?

B: Read, translate and comment on the opening words of Chapter 7.

1. Why do you think the words of F. Bacon, whose corruption is an infamous stain on legal history record, are taken as an epigraph for this chapter?

C: Find the information in the Internet (photos, video, documents etc.) on the following issues. Dwell on the latest cases, if any. Make presentations in class.

1. What is corruption?

2. Could it be eliminated or not?

3. What ways of dealing with it or minimizing it do you see?