Africa-Press – Tanzania. CHIEF Justice Professor Ibrahim Juma, has called on police investigators to speed up investigations so that justice could be served on time.
CJ Juma also urged prosecutors to be mindful of time the accused persons spend in prison or are supposed to turn up in courts of law for their cases, saying the Court is always ready to proceed with all cases and render judgments on time.
Speaking at the Judicial Service Commission meeting at the Immigration College in Moshi, Kilimanjaro, the CJ also proposed that Regional Commissioners (RCs) should task investigators and prosecutors to see to it that they do their duty on time instead of blaming the Judiciary for delay of cases.
He said criminal cases have their bases on the mentioned officials who investigate – locate, identify and gather evidence on respective cases that are filed with the Court.
He insisted that the Court could not move on itself but has to be moved by parties, and that its work is to make sure that justice is served.
Professor Juma said delay or incomplete investigation as well as failure for prosecution to complete its job, such as calling witnesses in cases are the main reasons for delay of criminal cases.
The criminal offences are always investigated and cases prosecuted by officials from the Director of Criminal Investigation (DCI), Director of Public Prosecution (DPP), Prevention and Combating of Corruption Bureau (PCCB) and Attorney General (AG).
Professor Juma said that delay in investigations by the Police Force that delays or halts hearing has been causing a lot of inconveniences to the citizens and residents involved in the cases in one way or another and called for an end to the same. “It is better you deal with investigators and prosecutors who put up bases of these cases.
Winning or losing cases depends on how these people build up their cases and evidence, so authorities concerned should look at these,” he advised.
The CJ warned that some of the investigators are now behaving unprofessionally, insisting that they are duty-bound to work in accordance with their work ethics for the wide interest of the public and the nation.
“There are some investigators who are under Civil Service but they behave unprofessionally.
Please, observe ethics and know that the Court works in accordance with the law, and the magistrates and judges observe ethics properly,” he said.
