Malawi Judiciary adopts electronic case management system

In reaction to the huge development technology is bringing into the world, the judiciary of Malawi has migrated to the electronic case management system.

Mwaungulu: Breakthrough
Mwaungulu: Breakthrough

The system will accord everyone from judges to lawyers to plaintiffs’ opportunity to track cases’ progress through an integrated national e-justice system that streamlines processes, eases administration and, most importantly, supports citizen access to a transparent robust back end system.

This European Union (EU) Project which is the first of its kind in Malawi is a multi billion project and is expected to be fully launched in August this year.

Speaking during a press briefing on Thursday at the High Court of Malawi in Blantyre, Project Coordinator, Justice of Appeals, Supreme Court, Dunstain Mwaungulu said this is a major breakthrough to the country at large because it is one of the most advanced paperless judicial systems on the planet.

He explains: “We have had what we do using manual systems but now there is this system in progress which will solve those problems. It is a solution; it is based on soft ware courtesy of Microsoft to carter for our problems of backlog and delay in our judicial system.

“Our staff will now be working on screen and this will bring dispatch and speed because one can work from anywhere, whether at home when he is sick or when he is outside this country for a workshop or something.”

“It also has real effect in terms of our judicial operations because we will not be doing the work physically on paper and it will ease the work and also reduce loss of files and misplacement of files in the physical operation.

“More interestingly, it is interactive between the judges or judiciary and Malawians. One can easily follow what is happening on a particular case and then for lawyers they can easily check on the file they are looking for on their phone,” Mwaungulu added.

He said currently the system is being tested for full compliance with regulations. He said the system currently covers the upper judiciary and the Director of Public Prosecutions interaction with the upper judiciary and that there is very clear possibility of extending the system to cover lower courts and to integrate the whole legal system, prisons and legal practitioners.

Adding beef to what Mwaungulu said, High Court and Supreme Court of Malawi Registrar, Joseph Chigona said this new system is operating in all the four registries of the Judiciary. He said they will soon roll out to all the courts across the country if all goes according to plan.

“There is a tremendous progress and change following the coming in of this system and so far we have managed to track in the system a number of cases. By August this year it will be fully operational and that is when we will be launching this system. Right now we are in what we can call preparatory stage,” He said.

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Kenkkk
Kenkkk
7 years ago

That is the future. Well done. But you need very tight cyber security on accessibility and safety of case files.

avide
avide
7 years ago

Bravo Judiciary.Koma mchitidwe omasowa ma file ku khoti utheretu pa Malawi. Pa Malawi chilungamo palibe.

Trendex
Trendex
7 years ago

WILL THE SYSTEM INVOLVE INTERNET? SECONDLY, BEFORE YOU LAUNCH THE SYSTEM MAKE SURE THAT THERE IS NO POWER INTERRUPTION BECAUSE IT CAN HAPPEN THAT THE PROCEEDINGS ARE IN SESSION AND THE POWER IS GONE. IT’S NOT EASY FROM PRACTICAL POINT OF VIEW. POTI AMALAWI TIKUMANGOTENGEKA ZILIZONSE. KAYA!!!!!!!

Moya
Moya
7 years ago

Another VERSION of IFMIS soon timva kuti ma files deleted or files can’t open due viruses or server or hard disk yabedwa…malawi 2016…remember the problem is not the system but the mentality of the user.

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