The Centre for Law Enforcement Education (CLEEN) Foundation has launched a project targeted at the digitization of court proceedings and judgements in Nigeria with a view to promoting accountability and transparency in the fight against corruption.
The project according to the Assistant Program Manager of the Foundation, Mr. Oluwole Ojewale principally seeks to monitor cases of corruption in relation to Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA 2015) through a web-based platform known as Uwazi doc.
The platform, according to him, is functional, accessible and within the reach of the public.
At the project launch of the first Kaduna state quarterly working group meeting on promoting accountability and transparency in the administration of criminal justice system in Nigeria; stakeholders, policy makers, researchers, civil society organizations and experts assembled on Tuesday to discuss the problems faced in the implementation of the Act and the possible solutions.
He explained that the ACJA 2015 was enacted as an instrument, which merged the provisions of the two previous principal legislations namely: Criminal Procedure Act (CPA) and the Criminal Procedure Code (CPC).
“The Act was not designed to do away with the already existing criminal laws in its entirety but was designed to preserve and strengthen the existing legal framework by introducing innovative provisions that will give a face lift to the efficiency of the justice system.
“The new legislation has brought fundamental changes to the criminal justice system as it provides for an administration of criminal justice system which promotes fast tracking of justice delivery, efficient management of criminal justice institutions, protection of citizens as well as protection of the rights and interest of suspects, defendants and victims,” he explained.
Ojewole noted that one of the project objectives is to make information on corruption and accountability easily accessible both online and offline to legal practitioners, law enforcement agencies, judges, prosecutors, defendants, government agencies and civil society organizations working for justice sector reforms, legal scholars and researchers.
He however stressed that the objective of the Act may never be attained unless all relevant stakeholders in the criminal justice system are aligned to work collaboratively to ensure it is not just implemented but fully complied with by all judicial actors.
Earlier, the representative of the Chief Judge of Kaduna State, Justice Binta Zubairu, lamented that Nigeria has beautiful laws, noting that the problem remains poor or lack of implementation.
She however urged the participants to present suggestions that will assist the country in that direction.
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