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AMMAN — Justice Minister Bassam Talhouni on Monday announced a three-year strategy for his ministry that seeks to speed up court proceedings and fully automate the judiciary.

The 2014-2016 strategy will also develop the Justice Ministry to become an efficient institute that will support the independence of the judiciary and strengthen society’s faith in the judicial system, Talhouni said at a press conference.

In addition, the strategy aims at drafting policies and modern legislative initiatives, and safeguarding the legal rights and freedoms of citizens, the minister added.

One of the main obstacles that the strategy will address, according to Talhouni, are the delays in judicial notifications and fake addresses.

“I have to admit that there are delays in delivering judicial notifications, which is hindering court proceedings and applications of verdicts, and we are working to resolve this issue,” the minister stressed.

He added that one of the steps already adopted is compiling data of citizens’ addresses by collaborating with water and electricity companies, the Civil Status and Passports Department, the Interior Ministry and the police.

“This will hopefully ensure the delivery of notifications to the right people, since some people fill out fake addresses to further hinder court proceedings.”

The minister said the focus will continue on training judges on an annual basis, and — at the same time — “we are working on improving and amending the Judicial Council’s regulations to ensure that qualified judges will serve in the judiciary.”

Turning to gender-based issues, Talhouni noted that the judicial strategy aims at initiating awareness plans to spread the concept of gender equality and provide the necessary training to judges to deal with cases related to women and children.

The strategy includes drafting a new law for the independence of the judiciary and a new penal code, he said.

“The independence of the judiciary is a red line.”As for the Penal Code, the minister added that this law will be revisited since it was drafted in 1960.

“The type of crimes has changed, and we need to update our Penal Code to match life advancements and the new kind of crimes our society is witnessing.”

Under the strategy, the ministry will examine the application of alternative punishments, allowing convicts to serve community hours for certain crimes, Talhouni stated, adding that “we will attempt to apply this if we find the right tools.

“This strategy and all our work complement the work done by our predecessors, and our aim is to build on the accomplishments and previous strategies.”

AMMAN — Fuel prices are expected to go down by 2 or 2.5 per cent next month, Gas Stations Owners Association (GSOA) President Fahed Al Fayez said on Monday.

Fayez based his expectations on the average price of Brent Crude Oil on the global market since the beginning of January.

The global price per barrel stood at $107 on Friday, according to Ahmad Hattab, the GSOA director.

The government slightly increased the prices of main oil derivatives at the beginning of this month based on recommendations by its pricing committee which meets every month to adjust fuel prices in a manner that corresponds with changes in the international market.

Following the decision, one litre of unleaded 90-octane gasoline is currently sold at JD0.830, up from JD0.810 in December, while one litre of 95-octane costs JD1.010, up from JD0.980.

Both diesel and kerosene are sold at JD0.685, up from JD0.670, under January’s price list.

The price of cooking gas, which is also used by households for heating purposes, remained unchanged at JD10 per cylinder under the committee’s decision.

Fuel prices, except for gas cylinders, are no longer subsidised by the government, which lifted the subsidies in November 2012.

Meanwhile, Hattab noted that consumers are currently buying around 100,000 gas cylinders a day.

“When the weather gets cold, around 175,000 gas cylinders are sold on a daily basis,” he told The Jordan Times over the phone.

AMMAN — Seventy per cent of water loss in Jordan is due to theft and illegal usage, according to the Ministry of Water and Irrigation.

Since the ministry launched a crackdown on water violations in August last year, and up until December, more than 7,091 illegal water pipes were dismantled, of which 75.5 per cent were in the capital, according to the ministry’s figures.

The ministry registered 1,919 violations on main water conveyors and 3,360 cases of changing water gauges in Amman alone between August and December last year.

In Irbid, the ministry’s teams registered 1,163 violations during the same period, 95 in Ajloun Governorate, 35 in Jerash and over 150 in Mafraq and Northern Badia.

“In addition, a total of 174 illegal wells were sealed in different parts of the country, while 12 water drillers were confiscated for digging wells without obtaining a licence. Last year, the ministry referred 97 cases to court,” Water Minister Hazem Nasser said in a statement e-mailed to The Jordan Times.

The minister said legal measures were taken to start addressing water violations in court as economic crimes, revealing plans for establishing a specialised court to address water-related crimes.

The Cabinet, which earlier this month gave the ministry jurisdiction to strictly end all forms of violations on water resources, has endorsed several decisions and regulations to curb infringements and maximise penalties against offenders, according to Nasser.

These include depriving owners of illegal wells of agricultural or any other governmental loans, and supplying electricity for wells only after clearance is obtained from the Water Authority of Jordan (WAJ) proving that they are licensed.

The new regulations also prohibit the import of water pumps for wells unless the Ministry of Water and Irrigation grants permission.

In addition, they entail revoking work permits of guest workers employed at farms with illegal wells.

The Cabinet also decided to raise the tariffs of water generated from illegal wells, according to the ministry statement, which indicated that wells pumping up to 10,000 cubic metres will be charged JD0.15 per cubic metre, wells pumping 10,000-30,000 cubic metres will be charged JD0.25 per cubic metre and those pumping above 30,000 cubic metres will be charged JD0.50 per cubic metre.

Nasser said that owners of illegal wells have a grace period until the end of November this year to rectify their status, otherwise, WAJ will appropriate a dunum of land surrounding the illegal well.

Water Ministry Spokesperson Omar Salameh told The Jordan Times that the ministry is pressing ahead with its campaign to end violations on the water network, calling on the public to cooperate with authorities and report violations.

The ministry banned the drilling of water wells in 1997 to limit random pumping of water and preserve aquifers from depletion and salinity.

There are 1,318 wells across the country, more than 400 of which are unlicensed or illegal, according to ministry figures.

Under Article 30 of the WAJ Law, violators are fined up to JD5,000 and jailed for two years, while Article 456 of the Penal Code stipulates that violators of water networks face three- to six-month prison terms and fines ranging between JD100 and JD1,000.