High court petitions causing backlogs

KIGALI - About 5, 000 cases in the High Court in Kigali are still pending as a result of petitioners who don’t facilitate the court to speed up the judgment process. Aloysie Cyanzayire, the Chief Justice and the President of High Council of the Judiciary, revealed this Thursday in an interview with The New Times. “Petitioners bring many cases, even those that are not necessary, and at times they want them (cases) to take long so that it can affect their opponents,” Cyanzayire observed. The Chief Justice pointed out that they are now inspecting courts and backlog management to look for ways on how they can reduce the cases. She noted that, as a result of the backlog, any new case lodged in the High Court can only be heard in 2012.“Backlog of cases is not only a problem in the High Court but also in the Supreme Court,” she said, adding that it’s an issue they are trying to look for a quick response. She noted that this, on one hand, is an indication that Rwandans now believe and access the country’s justice “but on the other hand it’s not good because when they get piled up we will not be offering good justice.”About 1,500 cases, Cyanzayire said, are also pending in the Supreme Court, up from 400 in 2005. “We are now trying to build the justice sector. We have come a long way. Though we have registered tremendous success since the reforms in 1994, there is a need for all Rwandans to support the steps taken because there are things we cannot achieve if we have no support of those seeking our services.” She called on Rwandans to join hands with the justice sector in fighting corruption by providing all the necessary information on corrupt people. “For us to offer the justice they need, they should facilitate us in the process.” Ends

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High court petitions causing backlogs