Richard Buteera, the deputy chief justice, has voiced worries about persistent corruption trends in the legal system, particularly at the chief magistrate’s courts.
He brought up these issues while he was wrapping up a nine-day orientation program for newly hired chief magistrates at the Collin Hotel in Mukono.
The judiciary is committed to a “zero-tolerance” approach against corruption, Justice Buteera reiterated, adding that corruption has no place there.
He urged the populace to offer proof of corruption so that the proper measures might be taken.
Justice Buteera encouraged top magistrates to oversee, mentor, coach, and direct the magistrates working under their purview in order to address these problems.
“Clerical staff should not be responsible for processing court records. It is what you do. These documents belong to you and show that the judicial officer did a subpar job. The suspects are entitled to their monetary bail after being found not guilty,” Justice Buteera highlighted that the judicial officials should make it easier for the defendants to get their monetary bail back.
Additionally, he emphasized the significance of judicial officers doing their duties primarily in open court, enabling the public to watch and assess their performance as they hand down decisions.
“As you go about your duties, the public, the plaintiffs, and the attorneys are evaluating you. They are aware of which judicial officer arrives late, accepts bribes, or frequently consumes alcohol. There are judicial officers who have a reputation for being honest, putting in a lot of effort, and engaging with stakeholders. Please act as this court’s judge,” he said.
In addition, Justice Buteera advised using alternate dispute resolution procedures as a means of reducing and resolving case backlogs.
“Plea bargaining as an innovation is performing very well, and I appeal to you to try as much as possible to sensitize the people and stakeholders about the advantages and gains of plea bargaining in the criminal justice sector,” he said.
20 top magistrates who were hired earlier in the year received diplomas from the training program, increasing the nation’s total of chief magistrates from 78 to 91.
The Judicial Training Institute’s executive director, Justice Damalie Lwanga, praised the value of such training sessions and urged the magistrates to put what they had learned into practice and uphold the judicial code of conduct.