Rwanda and Singapore on April 19, signed a memorandum of understanding, which is expected to promote judicial cooperation between the two countries. Both countries also signed an agreement to promote understanding of the applicable laws and judicial processes pertaining to the recognition and enforcement of foreign money judgments in their respective jurisdictions. The move is expected to bolster business confidence in both countries. Monday’s virtual signing ceremony was presided over by Chief Justice Faustin Ntezilyayo and Chief Justice of Singapore, Sundaresh Menon. Also at the event was the High Commissioner of Rwanda to Singapore, Jean de Dieu Uwihanganye, judges and senior officials from both Supreme Courts. According to Ntezilyayo, the new deal will ensure quality and timely justice delivery in both countries. “These agreements will enable mutual exchanges on different matters of interest, such as leveraging Information and Communications Technologies (ICT) to improve the administration of justice,” “The agreement will see both countries strengthen collaboration in Electronic Case Management System (ECMS), court-annexed mediation and out-of-court mediation, and small claims procedures,” he added. Introduced in 2017, ECMS enables litigants to file cases to court online and allows the user to monitor the progress of their filed cases online, without having to go to the court’s registry. Additionally, Ntezilyayo said, capacity building through virtual and face-to-face training will be prioritized, thanks to the new pact. The agreements are the first of the kind to be signed between judicial institutions of the two countries. Meanwhile, Chief Justice Menon also noted that the signed pacts will pave way for both countries to learn from each other’s good judicial practices. He said: “By tapping on each other’s knowledge and building on each other’s best practices in court management, it demonstrates our resolve to further develop the legal and judicial expertise of the two jurisdictions as we continue to learn, improve, and adapt to the post-pandemic environment.” Besides the judicial cooperation, other areas of cooperation between Rwanda and Singapore include aviation, trade and business, public service management, and education.
