Magistrate’s Courts finalised 29 415 cases: Justice Minister

MAGISTRATE’S Courts finalised close to 30 000 cases in the past financial year which ended last month, while the High Courts finalised 17 of the 135 cases on their roll, Justice Minister Pendukeni Iivula-Ithana told Parliament when she introduced her budget vote on Tuesday.

The Ministry will receive N$290,5 million for the 2009-10 financial year – N$63 million more than a year ago. ‘At the High Courts 27 criminal appeals were lodged, adding to the 296 appeals already lodged earlier, thus totalling 323 criminal appeal cases of which 96 could be finalised,’ the Minister told the House.A total of five applications for leave of appeal from the State were registered during the review period, while seven were brought forward from the previous years. Eight cases remained on the roll while four were finalised. Five petitions to the Chief Justice were recorded with another eight petitions still pending from previous years, adding up to 13 cases, of which four cases were finalised.’The Office of the Prosecutor General also embarked on the implementation of prosecution guided investigations. This concept has the prosecution more involved with rendering guidelines to Police officers when investigating criminal cases, thus reducing the backlog and saving time,’ Minister Iivula-Ithana said.The Ministry has budgeted for 1 149 posts, but only 789 posts – 69 per cent – are filled at the moment.The Minister also mentioned that the ongoing Caprivi treason trial is costing the Ministry’s legal aid department about N$7 million a year.The High Court’s Guardian Fund administered trust funds worth N$620 million for 26 000 minors in the past year.About 1 784 deceased estates and 39 insolvencies and liquidations were reported to the Master of the High Court and 368 trusts were registered there.The Office of the Attorney General registered 1 024 new instructions from clients and 141 of these files were closed. The Ministry completed the construction of a new Magistrate’s Court at Khorixas, which will be inaugurated on May 20. A new Magistrate’s Court building at Tsumkwe will be completed in two months’ time.