“Areas which are beyond the means of the judiciary and which require the attention of the government and our other development partners include funding for the infrastructure component of the judiciary strategic plan, more particularly the provision of more courtrooms and office space; improving the transport fleet to provide the better mobility of the court staff,” he said at the Opening of the Legal Year on Sunday.
He added that shortage of courtroom space continues to hamper the optimum use of the full complement of judiciary officers.
“The workload is immense for the present number of judiciary officers; we need more judges and magistrates to manage the workload efficiently; but we lack the courtroom space to accommodate and ensure the full operation of all the courts,” he revealed.
CJ Jallow also highlighted the need for government’s enactment of the judges’ conditions of the Service Bill in the course of the year.
“This is not only and overdue constitutional requirement but means for ensuring security of tenure judges, the integrity of the bench and a scheme for attracting and retaining suitable Gambians to the bench,” he flagged.
He stated that the monthly allocation of funds to the judiciary continues to be consistently inadequate for their basic operations.
He noted that independent and impartial judiciary is the bedrock for the rule of law and good governance and the most secure foundation for peace and progress.
