EU intervenes to clear Judiciary backlog
The European Union (EU) has pumped billions of kwacha into a project to computerise the Judiciary’s case management in a drive to speed up justice delivery.
In recent years, Malawians have been expressing disappointment over the pace at which justice is delivered in the country where cases take too long to be concluded.
To address the problem, the Judiciary will this month start implementing a project to computerise its system, according to Judiciary spokesperson Mlenga Mvula.
In an interview yesterday, Mvula said the computerised case management system is a multi-billion kwacha project sponsored by EU and that the new system will ease pressure on the Judiciary as complaints of cases piling at the court would be reduced.
He said the computerised system will enable judges to preside over cases even when they are outside the courtrooms or abroad as the system will be online. He said judges will attend to cases using computers which will also be the case with lawyers and witnesses.
Mvula said the system will also minimise adjournments, especially based on trivial matters.
“The system will really help in addressing problems faced in delivery of justice. There are many developed countries that use such a system,” he said.
The system is set to be applied in the High Court on a pilot basis before extending to the Malawi Supreme Court of Appeal.
He said judicial officers have already been trained in using the system.
University of Malawi’s Chancellor College associate professor of law Mwiza Nkhata described the move to embark on automated system as a positive development. He said the system has the potential to curb delays in delivery of justice.
However, he urged for a positive mindset towards the system and way of handling cases as, he noted, sometimes good systems fail because institutions or people are resistant to change.
In the first quarter of this year, the Judiciary recorded a case backlog of 1 498 across the High Court registries in Blantyre, Lilongwe, Mzuzu and Zomba.
