It was all smiles and joy on 24th April 2024 when Honourable the Chief Justice Rizine Mzikamanda SC launched e-court at a ceremony which took place at Chief Resident Magistrate Court/Centre.
The e-Court is designed to make justice more accessible, available, and affordable by enabling the Prisons and the Police to access the courts remotely if they are unable to physically access the courts. For example, a Prosecutor at any of the Police stations linked to e-Court will be able to have access to a prisoner on remand at any Prison Station through the e-Court virtual platform. Through the same forum courts will be able to conduct proceedings if it is on e-Court platform
In their speeches during the Launch, both the Chief Justice and the United Development Programme Resident Representative, Her Excellency Fenella Frost, commended the introduction of the system which will improve access to justice in the hard-to-reach communities.
They further explained that the system will enable survivors of Sexual and Gender Based Violence to remotely testify thereby protecting them from re-victimization.
The United Development Programme (UNDP) has funded the e-court system, which will link a total of 17 sites belonging to Judiciary, Malawi Police Service and Malawi Prison Service. The sites are Chitipa Magistrate Court, Thyolo Magistrate Court, Chief Resident Magistrate Court/East, Chief Resident Magistrate/Centre, Chief Resident Magistrate Court/South, Karonga Magistrate Court, Uliwa Magistrate Court, Chief Resident Magistrate/North; Chisenga, Nthalire, Jali, Makwasa and Makande, Police Stations; Chichiri, Zomba, Maula, Mzuzu and Chitipa Prison Stations.
The following attended the launch: Chairperson of Digitalization in the Judiciary, Justice of Appeal Frank Kapanda, the Inspector General of Police, Mrs. Merlyne Yolamu, the Commissioner of Prisons, Mr. Masauko Wiskot, some Judges, Magistrates, officers and staff from Judiciary, Malawi Police Service, UNDP and Malawi Prison Service.
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