Tackling justice delayed
Our justice system is still described as being painfully slow and there have been continued calls to improve it.
It is crystal clear that our judiciary is beset by a number of problems, including the need to ensure that justice is dispensed on time. The backlog of criminal cases is the most challenging, considering that the lower courts only managed a finalisation rate of 56% last year, while completing 24 918 out of 44 857 cases. A recent report by New Era highlighted challenges such as insufficient courtrooms, an unresponsive case management system and a shortage of digital recording equipment as some of the reasons behind the backlog of criminal cases in the lower courts. The issue of cases dragging on forever is not unique to the lower courts, but the high and supreme courts are also battling a chronic backlog of cases. In the last few days the spotlight has fallen on the widely publicised Avid/Social Security Commission (SSC) fraud scandal, involving N$30 million, which was first uncovered during a 2005 inquiry. In the same year, then acting Judge Raymond Heathcote, who presided over the Companies Act inquiry into the Avid/SSC debacle, strongly recommended the prosecution of those involved. Arrests were carried out three years later and what followed was unprecedented delays, while a verdict was only delivered last week by Judge Christie Liebenberg. Five of the seven accused were convicted on a number of charges, ranging from theft through conversion, fraud as well as fraudulent conduct of business in contravention of the Companies Act. This case has definitely restored public confidence in the judiciary, considering that those presiding over the matter were subject to public scrutiny during the drawn-out case, which involves politically well-connected individuals. Cases of this nature will always create a perception of interference or intimidation and the powers that be surely don't want to see people losing confidence in the system's ability to deliver swift justice. Undue delays are a major problem and should be tackled head-on. After all, justice delayed is justice denied.
It is crystal clear that our judiciary is beset by a number of problems, including the need to ensure that justice is dispensed on time. The backlog of criminal cases is the most challenging, considering that the lower courts only managed a finalisation rate of 56% last year, while completing 24 918 out of 44 857 cases. A recent report by New Era highlighted challenges such as insufficient courtrooms, an unresponsive case management system and a shortage of digital recording equipment as some of the reasons behind the backlog of criminal cases in the lower courts. The issue of cases dragging on forever is not unique to the lower courts, but the high and supreme courts are also battling a chronic backlog of cases. In the last few days the spotlight has fallen on the widely publicised Avid/Social Security Commission (SSC) fraud scandal, involving N$30 million, which was first uncovered during a 2005 inquiry. In the same year, then acting Judge Raymond Heathcote, who presided over the Companies Act inquiry into the Avid/SSC debacle, strongly recommended the prosecution of those involved. Arrests were carried out three years later and what followed was unprecedented delays, while a verdict was only delivered last week by Judge Christie Liebenberg. Five of the seven accused were convicted on a number of charges, ranging from theft through conversion, fraud as well as fraudulent conduct of business in contravention of the Companies Act. This case has definitely restored public confidence in the judiciary, considering that those presiding over the matter were subject to public scrutiny during the drawn-out case, which involves politically well-connected individuals. Cases of this nature will always create a perception of interference or intimidation and the powers that be surely don't want to see people losing confidence in the system's ability to deliver swift justice. Undue delays are a major problem and should be tackled head-on. After all, justice delayed is justice denied.
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