Attorney General and Minister for Justice Siromi Turaga says under the previous government, the number of pending cases in court was alarmingly high, with 26,162 pending cases in total.
While making his ministerial statement, Turaga confirmed that after the coalition government came in, they have reduced the pending cases in court to 16,941.
Turaga also highlighted that the previous government had a ceremony for the new Lautoka Court Complex in 2012 but nothing eventuated until now however Opposition MP, Mosese Bulitavu says this is a desperate attempt by the AG to keep his job.
The Attorney General says they have several noteworthy projects in the pipeline for the 2024/2025 Budget like the extension of the Nadi Court, construction of a new Lautoka Court Complex, Savusavu Court Complex, Keiyasi Court, Dreketi Court and the Veiuto Court Tower.
He says these new facilities will not only improve access to justice but to also ensure that judicial processes are conducted in a state of the art environment.
The Attorney General says in addition to these constructions they are also continuing to upgrade the existing court complexes with ongoing work at the Ba Court Complex which will probably open by the end of the year, and the Lautoka Tagimoucia Court.
He says these upgrades are essential in upgrading the infrastructure and improving the quality of service provided to the public.
Turaga also spoke about the previous government’s structure relying upon expatriate judicial officers resulting in increased costs due to allowances, gratuity, and travel expenses.
He says a great number of visiting judges for the Supreme Court and the Court of Appeal were Sri Lankan, which led to high travel costs.
While replying to the statement, Opposition MP, Mosese Bulitavu says it is a desperate attempt by the Attorney General to save his job, as he has not been performing in the last few months.
Bulitavu says with just 17 months in government, the coalition government is trying to provide a comparative analysis on what the previous government has done in the last 16 years.
He says that is just a poor attempt by the Attorney General.
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