Courts, rehabilitation centres ready to conduct remote trials — Justice minister

AMMAN — Justice Minister Ahmad Ziadat on Wednesday said all courts and correctional and rehabilitation centres in the Kingdom have been connected electronically to conduct remote trials.

According to Ziadat, the Justice Ministry has completed the third phase of the remote trial, “which is one of the most important projects that were conducted in cooperation with the judicial council and the Public Security Directorate”, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

Ziadat added that the total number of the entities that were connected was 23 courts and 17 correctional and rehabilitation centres.

The justice minister said the three-stage project was launched in 2019 when four correctional and rehabilitation halls were connected with four courtrooms, according to Petra.

“Remote trials allowed witnesses living abroad to give their testimonies in 200 court hearings, which contributed to speeding the court proceedings,” the justice minister said.

In addition, Ziadat added that the remote trial project worked to save the costs that were borne by the relevant authorities and the Treasury, represented in the process of transferring inmates between correctional facilities centres and courts.

This, the minister stressed, also worked to maintain “the security and safety of inmates, reducing the mixing of inmates in light of the health and exceptional conditions imposed by the COVID pandemic”.

A total of 7,140 remote trials were conducted throughout a two-year period, saving financial costs of detainees’ transportation and preventing contacts amid exceptional circumstances imposed by the pandemic, according to 2020 official figures.

The remote trial project, which was launched in July 2018, aimed to facilitate and accelerate litigation procedures and reduce time, efforts and financial costs as well as mitigate risks in detainees’ transportation.

The remote trial approach also ensures that those awaiting hearings or trials do not miss their sessions if they face with a critical emergency that prohibits them from physically being in court, whether it be a health condition or otherwise.

Communication devices and screens were installed in the trial halls of various courts in the Kingdom and were electronically linked with the country’s rehabilitation centres.

Ziadat said the project will continue with the addition of more halls that will be connected in regular and juvenile correctional centres and courtrooms.