publications_unodc_commentary-e

Value 3INTEGRITYPrinciple:Integrity is essential to the proper discharge of the judicial office.CommentaryConcept of “integrity”101. Integrity is the attribute of rectitude and righteousness. The components ofintegrity are honesty and judicial morality. A judge should always, not only in thedischarge of official duties, act honourably and in a manner befitting the judicialoffice; be free from fraud, deceit and falsehood; and be good and virtuous inbehaviour and in character. There are no degrees of integrity as so defined.Integrity is absolute. In the judiciary, integrity is more than a virtue; it is a necessity.Relevance of community standards102. While the ideal of integrity is easy to state in general terms, it is much moredifficult and perhaps even unwise to do so in more specific terms. The effect ofconduct on the perception of the community depends considerably on communitystandards that may vary according to place and time. This requires consideration ofhow particular conduct would be perceived by reasonable, fair minded and informedmembers of the community, and whether that perception is likely to diminish thecommunity’s respect for the judge or the judiciary as a whole. Conduct that is likelyto diminish respect in the minds of such persons should be avoided.79