The judicial authorities of Rwanda and Sierra Leone held a bilateral meeting on matters of judicial cooperation to uphold the rule of law in both countries.

On Tuesday, August 23, the Sierra Leone Chief Justice, Desmond B. Edwards, and his delegation, met with the Rwandan Chief Justice for a study visit.

The eight-day visit will mainly focus on the structure of the Judiciary as well as the digitalisation of court services and the use of the Integrated Electronic Case Management System (IECMS) at the Supreme Court level.

IECMS, the digitalised court system that aims at improving the efficiency of the judiciary, especially by coordinating activities of all institutions involved in the administration of justice in the country, was first introduced in 2016.

The following year in 2017, it was extended to all courts in the country.

Faustin Ntezilyayo, the Chief of Justice of Rwanda, said the visit is a testimony to the mutual interest to strengthen the cooperation of institutions between both countries.

"It is a good opportunity to exchange views on judicial reforms, best practices, and how to overcome challenges faced by our institutions in delivering timely and quality justice to our respective citizens,” he said.

He said that courts are service providers whose customers, the public, should be satisfied with the services they get.

"Satisfying the public requires consistent judicial reforms which must be undertaken in ways that are responsive to the expectations and needs of the public. Only in this way, will public trust and confidence be maintained and enhanced,” he said.

In addition, Ntezilyayo pointed out that the discussion with his counterpart was productive, arguing that they discussed how to strengthen cooperation and collaboration between both countries as well as exchanging views on judicial reforms and best practices for quality and efficient justice delivery.

He further encouraged both parties to keep on working hand in hand to uphold the rule of law and foster peace and sustainable development in their respective countries and beyond in the rollout of IECMS in the Horn of Africa country.

The Sierra Leone Chief Justice, Edwards, revealed that they chose to learn from Rwanda because the country’s system has been effective, and also because it is a country that is developing very fast in various sectors regardless of its history of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi.

In addition, he disclosed that the key focus for the visit is learning how they can set up the revenue court to help the country to hold taxpayers accountable.

"In our country, we have the National Revenue Authority in charge of country revenue. They are trying to make sure that the government collects proper revenue that will enhance the country. However this has not been possible due to various challenges,” he said

He said that the judicial system contributes a lot to the development of the country, noting that resolving disputes between people as well as punishing those who break the law is a way of complimenting the government.