By BRIAN HATYOKA –
THE Commonwealth Magistrates’ and Judges’ Association (CMJA) has urged governments to provide adequate resources to courts, to enhance the delivery of justice and instill public confidence in the judiciary.
CMJA president John Vertes said there was need for governments in the Commonwealth to provide adequate resources to courts to address the problem of delayed judgments and other challenges which arise due to inadequate resources.
Mr Justice Vertes said the problem of inadequate resources for courts was a big issue in many countries in the Commonwealth and it had potential to erode public confidence in the judiciary.
He was speaking in an interview at Zambezi Sun Hotel yesterday at the just ended 18th CMJA annual conference.
The theme for the three-day conference was ‘Judicial Independence: The Challenges of the Modern Era’.
“The problem of inadequate resources for courts is big in many countries and this affects the smooth operations of the judiciary.
“Many governments usually squeeze the courts in terms of funding and it becomes much harder for judges and magistrates to do their job and prepare their judgments easily,” he said.
Mr Justice Vertes said justice delayed was justice denied and hence it was important that judgments were rendered in a timely manner.
“I know that in different places there are different systems but it is required that the parties involved in a case know the reasons for the delays.
“In Canada, there is a protocol that judgments should be delivered within six months of the case and if the judge continues to delay the case, the chief justice will tell the judge not to attend any workshop or any other meeting until the case is concluded,” Mr Justice Vertes said.
He said there should be more control given to the chief justices and court administrators over matters of budgets and court administration.
He also said corruption in the judiciary was a big issue, as it could affect public confidence in the judiciary and hence it was important that chief justices led the way in fighting the scourge.
