THE watchdog responsible for holding Scottish judges to account is to stand down after complaining she has "no power to make things different and better".

Moi Ali, the country's first Judicial Complaints Reviewer, will not seek a second term.

The JCR post was created to introduce an element of independence in the system of self-regulation for scrutinising judges. However, Ms Ali's role is restricted to looking at whether the Judicial Office for Scotland - the in-house body led by the Lord President - has dealt with complaints correctly.

She is unable to probe complaints against judges or make recommendations.