By Pemphero Malimba:
The Judiciary says it is considering a measure to stop assigning cases to judicial officers a year before retirement to prevent delays in delivering judgements.
Chief Registrar of the Judiciary Innocent Nebi disclosed this in Lilongwe Wednesday when he appeared before Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee (Pac).
Nebi was responding to concerns raised by Mulanje South East Member of Parliament Booker Matemvu, who said delays in delivering judgements were affecting many people, including his constituents.
Matemvu cited cases that had been heard more than 10 years ago but for which judgements had yet to be delivered.
“Judicial officers have retired or been transferred before delivering judgements. What are you doing to ensure that the delivery of justice is not compromised?” Matemvu asked.
Nebi acknowledged the challenges and said the Judiciary had discussed the proposal to stop assigning cases to officers a year before retirement.
He added that court users could approach his office or other relevant offices within the Judiciary to raise complaints about delays or other concerns.
The committee also questioned the Judiciary over delays in the construction of the judicial complex in Lilongwe’s City Centre.
Nebi said Chinese contractors were expected to begin construction of the main office complex in December this year, with the project scheduled for completion within 22 months.
He said the original plan included an office complex, a residence for the Chief Justice and a sheriff’s house. However, funding constraints had forced the Judiciary to prioritise the office complex.
“We are also considering whether to engage two contractors on the site, as the local contractor initially awarded the project is still working on the perimeter fence,” Nebi said.
He also dismissed reports that the Judiciary owed the local contractor money, saying the contractor had been paid in full.
The Judiciary officials also appeared before Pac to respond to two audit queries relating to the financial year ending in 2023.
The first concerned the failure to prepare a budget and revenue estimates for court fees, while the second involved a lack of storage facilities for properties seized by sheriffs, leaving them exposed to weather damage and theft.
“Capacity constraints and major reforms have affected our ability to prepare the required budget and revenue estimates,” Nebi said.
The committee has since advised the Judiciary to submit supporting documentation to address the audit query.
On the storage of seized property, Nebi said the Judiciary had procured land along Magalasi Road in Blantyre, in Kanengo, Lilongwe and in Mzuzu for the construction of sheriff warehouses.
In the meantime, the Judiciary is using temporary storage facilities for seized items.
Nebi said the institution had also introduced a policy of holding auctions every three months to prevent goods from remaining in storage for too long and becoming damaged.
Pac continues to engage government institutions over audit queries raised in reports by the Office of the Auditor General.