JUDICIAL REFORMS DURING 20 YEARS OF REUNIFICATION

By: Yahya Jaber

Translated by: Mahmoud Assamiee

SANA'A, May 19 (Saba)- Yemeni Judiciary has witnessed during the
past two decades great reforms to keep pace with the developments
and changes Yemen has been witnessing since the announcement of the
Republic of Yemen in 22nd of May 1990.

The political leadership, represented by President Ali Abudllah
Saleh, has been so keen on making Judiciary System independent.
Based on that, a new law has been enacted to the judiciary authority
and presented to the parliament for approval.

According to judicial sources and reports, reforms in judiciary
authority have passed through three stages, legislative, human
resources and infrastructure during the past three years. These
reforms are based on the foundations of security, stability and
realizing justice. It is also considered one of important factors
attracting local and foreign investments.

In field of infrastructure building, many amendments have been
prepared to a number of legislations like criminal law, penalties,
arbitration in trade and civic items, judiciary fees, documentary
law and the project amendment of judicial authority.

Law of the Supreme Judiciary Institute and the law of proceeding and
civil summoning have been amended. Similarly, the executive by-law
of general rules of violations, the executive by-law of documentary
and registration law and the interior by-law of the Supreme
Punishment Council have been issued.

Concerning the infrastructure, the Supreme Judiciary System,
Ministry of Justice, the High Court, Supreme Judiciary Institute,
and primary and appeal courts have been reshuffled.

Furthermore, 31 primary courts, appeal courts, primary and appeal
prosecutions have been created.

Due to importance of documenting verdicts and other papers, the
judiciary authority gives especial concern to improve documentation
sector and carried out three stages including separation of
documenting sections from 135 courts in the capital Sana'a and a
number of governorates. System of Job Rotation has been adopted.

According to reports of the project management in the Ministry of
Justice, 20 projects of building courts and prosecutions have been
constructed during the period 2006-2009. The total cost of these
projects amounted to 2,6 billion. Four of these buildings are
judiciary compounds and 16 others are primary courts.

24 other stopped projects have been requalified. The total cost of
these projects is YR 1, 6 billion.

The reports of projects department says there are four judiciary
compounds for commercial trade in the capital Sana'a and Aden, Taiz
and Hadramout Governorates with the total coast of USD 3,6 millions.

Other 12 projects for maintaining and constructions in addition to
building multi-purpose hall in judiciary institute with the total
cost of YR 291,3 million have bee carried out.

In the field of training the cadre of the Judiciary Authority and
members of prosecution, the Supreme Judiciary Institute has been
improved after the stop period lasted for eight years. Four intakes
have been graduated from the institute, all included 176 judges.
256 new students, 12 female and three Palestinian have attended the
institute.

The institute role is not limited only on qualifying judges and
prosecution members, it has carried out a number of training
courses, workshops and seminars to judges and prosecution members.
They all focused on new laws in fields of combating terrorism,
fighting money laundry and financing terrorism, commercial and
public funds judiciary.

Judicial reforms included activating Judicial Inspection Authority.
The authority, for its part, has carried out many inspection courses
on all judges working in the courts and prosecutions. It also
provided the judiciary inspection authority in the Ministry of
Justice with a number of inspectors who have been worked heads of
appeal courts.

The authority has established information sector and supplied it
with necessary equipments and linking it with 27 courts. It has also
carried out a number of sudden inspection courses on judges for the
purpose of inspecting citizens' claims.

Eventually, 46 judges and prosecution members, who committed
mistake, have been referred to interrogation. 33 of them have been
punished, files of 13 others are before accountability council and
ten judges and prosecution members submitted their resignation and
accepted.

In field of commercial judiciary, a post of the deputy of Judicial
Inspection Authority for commercial judiciary has been created.
Commercial courts have been provided with 27 judges.

Trade management in the supreme court have been re-organized and
were provided with a number of judges, specialized in commercial
issues to settle issues quickly.

Concerning improving living conditions of the members of judiciary
authority and its employees, judges and members of prosecutors have
been granted bonuses for housing ranging from YR 25 to 45 thousands
and 1010 judges and member of prosecution have been promoted, 40 of
them are female judges.

They have been also granted other bonuses because of the nature of
their work. These bonuses are valued of 50 percent of the basic
salary. Furthermore, cars have been given free to judges and members
of prosecutions.

In field of information technology, the information and technology
center in the Ministry of Justice has been reshuffled and another
new one in the Supreme Judiciary Council has been created. 27 courts
have been technically linked.

The work is going on to make a network to 92 courts and the
judiciary network system called judicial file system has been
created. All the courts, which are linked through network, have been
linked with the Ministry of Justice and the Judiciary Inspection
Authority.

Concerning women, women have great existence among cadres of
judiciary authority. Five female judges have graduated from the
Supreme Judiciary Institute. There are also other female students to
be qualified as judges. One female judge has been appointed in the
Supreme Court.

Another number of women have been appointed in leading posts in the
Ministry of Justices' divan.