Attorney General Ryan Pinder heralded the technological evolution of the Industrial Tribunal for the creation of the first smart courts in the country.
The courts were developed during the COVID-19 lockdown period in 2020 and consist of three smart courts on New Providence and one on Grand Bahama. They feature the first electronic-filing platform and case management solution in The Bahamas.
Speaking during the opening of the legal year for the tribunal, Pinder said the Industrial Tribunal has not only set the standard in The Bahamas, but has also blazed trails throughout the Caribbean region with its accomplishments.
“Indeed, The Bahamas can be proud to boast the remarkable distinction of its four smart courts with fully operational, user-friendly systems. This was all made possible through the industrious and innovative responsiveness of Madam President Indira Demeritte-Francis,” he said during the official opening ceremony for the legal year, held last week.
“When courts all around the world, including The Bahamas, were closing their doors, due to the pandemic, the president, imbued with the vision and mission of the tribunal to provide a quick and economical judicial forum of deciding trade disputes within a reasonable time, set out constructing its new smart courts to serve the Bahamian public. It is an endeavor many can be proud of and look to do themselves. The decisive action by the president in implementing the smart courts aligns with our government’s vision and plans for a new direction and new way forward in every aspect of our existence, moving toward transformative change,” he added.
According to its website, during the closure of the Industrial Tribunal in March 2020, the tribunal was able to build an entirely new courtroom to accommodate the number of appointed judges.
In addition, new infrastructure for the four new smart courts was also installed. This included extensive electrical rewiring, improved internet services and some physical changes to the general environment to make it more user-friendly, the website notes.
“COVID has not stopped us from improving our systems and enhancing the quality of the service offered by the tribunal. It has not stopped us from innovating, pioneering and accelerating our agenda and it has certainly not stopped us from providing Bahamians with access to the high-quality service we offer to litigants, attorneys and citizens at large. In short, in the midst of the pandemic, the tribunal has seized the opportunity to adapt, evolve and offer fair accessible justice for all Bahamians,” said President of the Industrial Tribunal Indira Demeritte-Francis.
She continued, “The implementation of technology has become an important subject in today’s world and it is now a fundamental requirement for providing any service to the public. It is just the way things are now and there is definitely no turning back. We must accept this, leverage the available tools and evolve our institution and our practice for the digital age.”
The renovation of the courtrooms is comprised of several components, which include appropriate licenses for court video conferencing capability for virtual courtrooms (Zoom), session recordings (Zoom), transcription availability for court records (Captura), Integration with the Curia court management system (Attache, Folio and Sightlines), mobile app, website and technical support and knowledge transfer support services.
The post Smart courts highlighted at opening of Industrial Tribunal legal year appeared first on The Nassau Guardian.
source https://thenassauguardian.com/smart-courts-highlighted-at-opening-of-industrial-tribunal-legal-year/
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