Just 2 days ago, the Supreme Court announced that the judges of criminal division would resume jury trials in a safe manner; those types of trials had been suspended for almost a year.
But, with the launch of virtual courtrooms, the justice system is in need of an electronic filing system.
Well, this morning, Attorney General Magali Marin-Young signed a memorandum of understanding with APEX, the Caribbean Agency for Justice Solutions.
APEX is a non-profit agency established by the Caribbean Court of Justice in 2016 to support digital transformation in courts throughout the region. The agency has developed a suite of technology to strengthen national and regional justice institutions to deliver improved services. APEX has developed and perfected its Curia suite of software which currently empowers the CCJ's e-filing system. The Government of Belize and APEX, through this newly signed MOU, have agreed that the Curia system will be implemented for the Belizean courts.
All the relevant VIP's connected with each other this morning via teleconference for a virtual signing ceremony, and here's what the speakers had to say about this technological upgrade for the Belize courts:
Hon. Magali Marin-Young - Attorney General
"I want to express my gratitude to APEX for reaching out to my office and being so willing to assist us in providing technical and developmental programs to strengthen and improve the judicial and administrative system here in Belize. The signing of this memorandum memorializes APEX's kind offer to assist the Government of Belize in its efforts to improve government services through technical support, especially in regard to the judiciary and administrative service. It also memorializes this government's commitment to modernize the judiciary and to provide all the technical and other resources required to facilitate greater efficiency in the case management of cases and that will facilitate the electronic filing of court documents."
Hon. Adrian Saunders - President, CCJ
"We at the CCJ have been using the Courier Suite for almost 4 years. It has served us extremely well. Lawyers and litigants from Belize can attest to the quality of the service and the heightened efficiencies it has brought to the filing and management of cases. Using the Courier system fits into the highest CARICOM ideals, as well as the CCJ mandate for the development of Caribbean jurisprudence and the systems that support the development of that jurisprudence. I want to stress that Courier is indigenous to the region. The developers are engaged in constant research and development to suit to unique needs of our court systems Courier is cutting edge, and comparable to the best systems employed anywhere in the world. I'm sure that it will be transformative for effective management of justice delivery in Belize, and it will also increase judicial accountability, as the reporting systems that the software has built into it will allow regular assessment of the quality of justice that is delivered."
Hon. Michelle Arana - Acting Chief Justice
"We in the Judiciary of Belize look forward to the implementation of this technically advanced case management system that this software will definitely bring to us. From what has been shown to the President of the Court of Appeal and myself, in a recent demonstration by APEX, this system has many features designed specifically to address our particular needs in the judiciary. For example, the timelines feature showing the full life-cycle of a case will definitely help us to manage cases in our court calendars with greater efficiency."
Hon. Minnet Hafiz-Bertram - Acting President, Court of Appeal
"Myself and my team at the Court of Appeal look forward to using the new systems which I am sure will improve the delivery of justice in Belize. It will certainly allow for greater accountability and transparency in the judicial procedures."
Bevil Wooding - Executive Director, APEX
"The pandemic has caused us to abandon tradition to stage this event online. The familiar trappings of in-person signing ceremonies have been replaced with the new and increasingly normal format of a technology-enabled virtual meeting. Why? Well, because the circumstances have changed for us all. The status quo has been disrupted. The familiar has been replaced by the novel, and so here we are. We have adapted, and we have evolved because the important work of government, the business community, the media, and importantly, the courts must go on."
As part of this agreement, there will be technical training offered to the court's support staff on how the system works, and how to get the best performance out of it.
