Riya Bhagwan 
[Photo: FILE]
Complex legal procedures, a growing number of court cases, and outdated paper-based processes are contributing to delays in Fiji’s judicial system.
Prominent Fijian lawyer Richard Naidu says cases involving technical legal issues can face several hurdles before reaching trial.
Each application requires submissions, hearings and a judge’s decision, adding time to an already lengthy process.
Naidu adds that these preliminary steps can significantly prolong cases, even before the main dispute is heard.
Fiji Law Society president Graham Leung points to another challenge: a growing caseload placing pressure on a limited number of judges.
Courts must schedule hearings while giving judges and magistrates enough time to consider cases and prepare judgments, which delays the process.
Leung says more people are also taking legal action, adding to the congestion already facing the courts.
Naidu, however, warns that if prolonged delays undermine public confidence in the justice system, the consequences for society could be severe.
“I do sympathize very much with people when they suffer these sorts of delays, and it’s really important for lawyers, judges, people in government to understand that this is the only dispute resolution system we’ve got, and if people lose confidence in it, they lose trust in it, then people begin to take the law into their own hands, and that’s not good for anybody.”
Meanwhile, Australia has identified digitalisation as an area where it could support Fiji’s legal sector.
Digital tools could modernise court processes and help overcome some challenges facing the legal system.
