1,500 cases unresolved at Commercial Court
Oct 23, 2003
THE head of the Commercial Court, Justice James Ogoola, said the commercial court has got a backlog of 1500 cases.
By David Muwanga
THE head of the Commercial Court, Justice James Ogoola, said the commercial court has got a backlog of 1500 cases.
Ogoola said the Judiciary is starting a pilot project to ease handling of the cases.
This was during a consultative workshop for Uganda Law Society members who handle commercial cases on Wednesday.
“Between 160-170 commercial cases are filed every month. Of all these, the court disposes off 120 carrying forward 40. Whereas we still have 1500 pending, we expect to reduce them by 80% within a short period,†Ogoola said.
He said the new laws provide for the handling of a case in two days instead of the one and half years in litigation or the eight months the court had been taking.
Chief Justice, Benjamin Odoki, will spearhead the pilot project.
Odoki has also issued regulations to be followed while the project is implemented.
“The project aims at referring all cases filed at the Commercial Court for mediation first between the two affected parties,†Ogoola said.
He said when the parties fail to agree, the case would referred back for litigation.
Ogoola said if the method is effective the pilot project supposed to last for two years will be adopted as the new system for handling cases in all courts countrywide.
“We are calling it a pilot project because it has started with the commercial. Mediation will be faster,†he said.
THE head of the Commercial Court, Justice James Ogoola, said the commercial court has got a backlog of 1500 cases.
Ogoola said the Judiciary is starting a pilot project to ease handling of the cases.
This was during a consultative workshop for Uganda Law Society members who handle commercial cases on Wednesday.
“Between 160-170 commercial cases are filed every month. Of all these, the court disposes off 120 carrying forward 40. Whereas we still have 1500 pending, we expect to reduce them by 80% within a short period,†Ogoola said.
He said the new laws provide for the handling of a case in two days instead of the one and half years in litigation or the eight months the court had been taking.
Chief Justice, Benjamin Odoki, will spearhead the pilot project.
Odoki has also issued regulations to be followed while the project is implemented.
“The project aims at referring all cases filed at the Commercial Court for mediation first between the two affected parties,†Ogoola said.
He said when the parties fail to agree, the case would referred back for litigation.
Ogoola said if the method is effective the pilot project supposed to last for two years will be adopted as the new system for handling cases in all courts countrywide.
“We are calling it a pilot project because it has started with the commercial. Mediation will be faster,†he said.