PG fears justice system collapse

THE Office of the Prosecutor General will send two teams to the regions to help lower courts work off the backlog of cases.

Each team will consist of four advocates and will be accompanied by a Deputy Chief of Lower Courts. Prosecutor General Olivia Imalwa made the announcement on Friday.”Overcrowding of Police cells and prisons is a concern, as it is caused by court cases being postponed indefinitely, petty cases being taken to court and no proper screening of dockets exists,” she told reporters.The two teams will visit Magistrate’s Courts countrywide to examine where the problems are, to screen case dockets and to deal with unnecessary cases.They will then compile a detailed report “to assist Government in addressing this burning public concern”, Imalwa said.”If we do not take action, the criminal justice system will collapse and the reviving thereof will be a daunting task.”Imalwa also announced that she intended establishing a National Criminal Justice Forum.People who could take part in the Forum have already been identified.She did not divulge details.”One of our major constraints in achieving and promoting justice is that all parties in this system are operating in isolation,” according to Imalwa.”There is no coherence in decision-taking and the operation of each and every office (in the judicial system) is done without complementing the broader picture.It is high time that we follow a consolidated approach and that we unite in the fight against crime.”The Prosecutor General further said her office had set up specialised units at the end of last year but they were not yet fully operational because of a lack of human and financial resources.Crime and violence were increasing and criminals were becoming more sophisticated in their schemes and operations, she lamented.”We need to equip our prosecutors and we need to invest in them as public defenders, protesting the interest of our nation.I urge Government to increase the remuneration packages of my personnel,” Imalwa added.The specialised units were set up for training, management and administration, money laundering, corruption, asset forfeiture and extradition.A unit for commercial crimes was set up, one for serious crimes and another one for sexual offences, domestic violence and maintenance.The last two units in the PG’s Office launched last year are one for criminal prosecutions and one for general offences.Prosecutor General Olivia Imalwa made the announcement on Friday.”Overcrowding of Police cells and prisons is a concern, as it is caused by court cases being postponed indefinitely, petty cases being taken to court and no proper screening of dockets exists,” she told reporters.The two teams will visit Magistrate’s Courts countrywide to examine where the problems are, to screen case dockets and to deal with unnecessary cases.They will then compile a detailed report “to assist Government in addressing this burning public concern”, Imalwa said.”If we do not take action, the criminal justice system will collapse and the reviving thereof will be a daunting task.”Imalwa also announced that she intended establishing a National Criminal Justice Forum.People who could take part in the Forum have already been identified.She did not divulge details.”One of our major constraints in achieving and promoting justice is that all parties in this system are operating in isolation,” according to Imalwa.”There is no coherence in decision-taking and the operation of each and every office (in the judicial system) is done without complementing the broader picture.It is high time that we follow a consolidated approach and that we unite in the fight against crime.”The Prosecutor General further said her office had set up specialised units at the end of last year but they were not yet fully operational because of a lack of human and financial resources.Crime and violence were increasing and criminals were becoming more sophisticated in their schemes and operations, she lamented.”We need to equip our prosecutors and we need to invest in them as public defenders, protesting the interest of our nation.I urge Government to increase the remuneration packages of my personnel,” Imalwa added.The specialised units were set up for training, management and administration, money laundering, corruption, asset forfeiture and extradition.A unit for commercial crimes was set up, one for serious crimes and another one for sexual offences, domestic violence and maintenance.The last two units in the PG’s Office launched last year are one for criminal prosecutions and one for general offences.