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Justice Minister Delroy Chuck
By Racquel Porter
The Ministry of Justice says funds have been allocated for the implementation of the Rwanda model of an Integrated Electronic Case Management System in the courts but the authorities appear to be dragging their feet in getting the system off the ground.
Chief Justice Bryan Sykes declared on Monday that any further delay in the implementation of the paperless system within courts poses a threat to the country's economic performance.
Justice Minister Delroy Chuck, speaking with Radio Jamaica News following Justice Syke's pronouncement, expressed disappointment that the system has not yet come to fruition.
"A game of Ring a Ring o Roses" - that's how Minister Chuck has described attempts to integrate the electronic case management system within the country's courts.
In 2022, a high-level delegation led by Minister Chuck and Chief Justice Bryan Sykes during a tour of Rwanda, studied the country's progressive work in alternative justice and technology-driven case management.
Eager to replicate the Integrated Electronic Case Management System, Mr Chuck said he spoke with Cabinet and the funds were set aside.
But Mr Chuck says he's yet to return to cabinet with a submission for the approval of the paperless system.
"We sent in a request for the software; it came back that they were asking for the cost of the hardware, and then that took up a long time," he told Radio Jamaica News.
He said his response was to insiste on proceeding with the procurement of the software, "because that is what... Rwanda would assist us with; putting that in place, and once we put that in place and the training start, then we can buy the hardware that we need."
The implementation of the IECMS is expected to make the courts more efficient; reduce wait times for documents; reduce wait times for cases to get through the courts; reduce wait times for transcripts and also reduce the cost for litigating in the courts.
So why has it not been implemented?
"To the best of my knowledge, the matter is still going around (in) the various departments, everywhere (including) the Ministry of Finance, before this matter can go to Cabinet, Chuck said, adding that he was "totally fed up with the whole procurement system..."
Chief Justice Sykes, in his comments on Monday, urged the authorities to quickly make a decision to move forward with the system.
But, despite such urgings, the Justice Minister conceded that the money set aside for implementing the paperless system "will not be spent in this fiscal year."
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