Minister of Justice Koeut Rith made the announcement during a ceremony marking the appointment of Ros Saram as prosecutor of Kampong Thom Provincial Court last week. JUSTICE MINISTRY
Minister of Justice Koeut Rith has outlined the ministry’s priorities for judicial reform over the next five years.
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He described the reforms as based on two priority pillars. The first will focus on the judiciary itself, while the second is the establishment of an out-of-court dispute resolution mechanism, one of the stated priorities of the 7th-mandate government.
He made the announcement during a ceremony marking the appointment of Ros Saram as prosecutor of Kampong Thom Provincial Court last week. Saram will replace Sin Virak, who has been appointed as prosecutor of the Kampong Speu Provincial Court, according to a ministry social media post.
The minister explained that the first focus, on the judiciary, will be centred on modifying existing dispute resolution mechanisms, through the use of mediation and reconciliation.
The second will explore ways of creating an effective out-of-court resolution system, in order to expedite the clearance of the current backlog of court cases. It will also examine irregularities in the courts, in order to promote transparency, fairness in law enforcement and deliver justice for the public.
“Reform of the law and the judiciary is one of the five key angles at the core of the government’s Pentagonal Strategy-Phase I,” he said.
In response to the new government’s vision of judicial reform, the ministry is conducting campaigns to expedite the resolution of current court cases and mediate out-of-court disputes.
Rights group ADHOC spokesman Soeung Sen Karuna opined that commitments to judicial reform have been made for many years – going back to the time of former Prime Minister Hun Sen – but the judiciary has yet to improve significantly.
He supported the minister’s moves to improve the justice sector, but called for closer attention to the implementation of the reforms.
“If officials do not adhere to the basic principles of law enforcement, and there is no use of common sense, adherence to global trends or any goodwill to seek independent justice for citizens, the system will not change. The ministry should increase its monitoring of all officials, in order to prevent corruption in the justice system,” he added.
He explained that if the government has the genuine goal of judicial reform, especially the practical implementation of its plans, civil society organisations and the international community are looking forward to seeing it and will support it.
Kang Rithikiri, a lecturer in law and a lawyer who represented Case 01 of the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia (ECCC), commonly known as the Khmer Rouge tribunal, agreed that effective reform would depend on practical actions.
Chin Malin, justice ministry secretary of state and spokesman, explained the ministry’s two pillars of reform on October 19.
He said judicial reform aims to strengthen judicial services and the quality of court decisions. In addition, the government will introduce a national authority which will resolve disputes out of court.
“We will introduce an out-of-court dispute mediation campaign, and we will also expedite the resolution of current cases. We also intend to review and resolve any irregularities which may have occurred in court,” he added.
