Africa-Press – Tanzania. Chief Justice Prof Ibrahim Juma on Monday outlined several benefits the Judiciary of Tanzania has obtained from major investments in using technology, including timely justice dispensation and saving over 2.75bn/-, which would have been used to hear cases through normal procedure.
Speaking in Dodoma at the occasion of Law Day, marking the beginning of a new judicial calendar year, Prof Juma urged all stakeholders in the legal sector to continue reaping the benefits of investment in technology made by the government through the National ICT Broadband Backbone (NICTBB).
“Improved technologies that facilitate access to justice for all have the advantage of moving justice services to disadvantaged groups, which are usually far from legal services and justice. In this way, justice will be achieved on an equal footing,” he said.
Prof Juma said that with the enactment of laws and regulations, the Judiciary of Tanzania has embarked on a journey towards the e-Judiciary with the main objective of bringing efficiency, transparency and cost reduction to citizens and other users of justice services.
The Chief Justice informed President Samia Suluhu Hassan, who was the guest of honor at the event, that the judiciary’s decision to use technology and reap the benefits of the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR), is to ensure Tanzania builds a competitive economy and equitable justice system. “Judiciary of Tanzania cannot turn a blind eye to what is going on in the community and do not lag behind or continue to embrace the old system of handwriting proceedings, while Artificial Intelligence is available to do the job so easily and cost-effectively,” he said.
The Chief Justice stated that it was the right time for the Tanzanian judiciary, in conjunction with the government and Parliament, to establish digital judicial systems for the resolution of trade disputes.
He said the investment made by the government in the National Broadband Backbone Network has enabled the judiciary to connect more than 157 centres, the integration which has expanded the use of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) at all court levels, thus facilitating timely access to justice.
“Through the backbone network, the judiciary has moved services closer to the people. In addition, electronic systems have created an environment that facilitated the exchange of information between the judiciary, institutions and stakeholders throughout the justice system in the country,” Prof Juma said.
He also informed President Samia that one of the major achievements of the use of ICT in the administration of justice is the existence of an Electronic Registration and Coordination System, which is called Judicial Statistics Dashboard System-2 (JSDS2), launched in 2019.
The system, according to him, has facilitated the registration of cases, enabling Judges and Magistrates in charge to assign judges and magistrates to hear and prepare records of proceedings from the time they are registered to the point of sentencing or decision.
He pointed out that there has been an online registration process that enables clients and stakeholders away from court facilities to register cases, documents and attachments at any time and disseminate case information to the parties via text message.
Prof Juma said that apart from the integration of Government Payments (GePG) to facilitate the payment of fines and fees online, the JSDS2 system has facilitated the collection of data for cases filed at any court level through traditional channels or networks.
The system, he said, also facilitates the downloading of all relevant information, including backlog, decision-making, ongoing and all cases that have not been assigned to judges or magistrates.
The Chief Justice also said that the investment in ICT has enabled the judiciary to have a system of Registration, Management and Identification of Advocates that distinguishes genuine licensees and eligible to provide legal services.
He noted that other services include access to the decision of the High Court and the Court of Appeal through the TANZLII system and the presence of the judiciary website with important information for stakeholders, parties, users of the Judiciary and other citizens in general.
He said that the Tanzanian judiciary uses a system that performs various functions involving video conference sessions without the participants having to meet face to face, a technology that is used to conduct cases and provide various training to staff and other stakeholders.
“This system is set up in judiciary facilities as well as in some prisons. In 2021 alone, a total of 17,979 cases were heard using this system. Expenditure on virtual courts is estimated to save 2,750,092,736/- per year for Prisons, lawyers, judiciary and other stakeholders,” he said.
The Chief Justice stated that despite the judiciary’s efforts to use ICT in the administration of justice, there are still many laws that prohibit the use of technology. Among those laws are the Criminal Procedure Act, the Civil Procedure Code and the Evidence Act, among others. “I have asked the Attorney General (AG) to contact the leadership of the Parliament, to look into the possibility of amending these laws to be in line with the current situation,” he said.
Prof Juma noted that on part of the judiciary, they have amended several Chief Justice Rules and enacted two regulations, the Judicature and Application of Laws (Electronic Filing Rules, 2018) as well as the Judicature and Application of Laws (Remote Proceedings and Electronic Recording) Rules , 2021.
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