‘Public crying out for faster judgments’

Chief Justice Salesi Temo has raised concerns over delays in Fiji’s justice system, warning that slow court processes are frustrating the public and must be addressed.

“The public are crying out for faster judgments,” he said during a judiciary consultation with the Constitution Review Commission on Thursday.

Justice Temo urged judges, particularly at the High Court level, to improve case management and deliver decisions within reasonable timeframes.

He said the judiciary was working on reforms to speed up proceedings, including changes to High Court and Magistrates’ Court rules, the introduction of mediation, and a target to complete cases within two years.

Justice Temo also highlighted governance challenges within the judiciary, including potential conflicts of interest involving senior judicial leaders.

He said under the current structure of the Judicial Services Commission (JSC), both the Chief Justice and the President of the Court of Appeal sit on the body, which could disqualify them from hearing cases arising from its decisions.

This, he said, limited the judiciary’s ability to use its most senior legal minds in important cases, affecting the public interest.

To address the issue, Justice Temo proposed amendments to allow the Chief Justice and the President of the Court of Appeal to nominate representatives to serve on the JSC when necessary.

The proposed reforms have been submitted to the Commission as part of the ongoing constitutional review.