Sierra Leone’s Judiciary has started virtual court proceedings in a bid to ensure speedy trials of cases during the COVID-19 pandemic. Information Technology (IT) professionals at the judiciary have set up a system that links the correctional centre to a courtroom at the law court building in a bid to ensure less movements at the court premises.The virtual system is fully funded by the judiciary which procured software, audio recording devices and other hardware devices to kick start the process. The system provides a witness room for witnesses and accused persons are linked from the correctional centre.
During the test transmission, Justice Amy Wright sat in one of the courtrooms at the main court building with lawyers representing the accused and lawyers from the law officers department, while the accused person was linked by a video link from the correctional centre, and the witness linked from the witness room respectively. Among others, the Fast-track Commercial court also tried the virtual court system in which a witness who lived abroad testified during an ongoing matter at the court.
Earlier, Chief Justice Desmond Babatunde Edwards on Tuesday 9th June 2020 announced that the court is considering instituting a new technologically driven justice system with a virtual court to address the gaps that have been created by the coronavirus. Noting that the closure of the courts because of COVID-19 restrictions caused some people to be left out of the justice system, Justice Edwards said with the virtual court system such constraints could be minimised.
The virtual court he explained will not be the only court in operation, but would work in line with some portions of the normal court. “We know that there are people who cannot afford (the technology) so we cannot just go virtual in one go,” he maintained. He said they’ve seen court systems operating the same way across the world and the Judiciary in Sierra Leone is just lending a leaf from them, and there are already rules that support a virtual court system in the Fast Track commercial court. “The more we use it the more we get used to it and the more we perfect it. If it works well it would be a system that would be left with us.” AK/12/08/2020
By Abdulrahman Koroma