JEDDAH – The Ministry of Justice intends to link its various courts including criminal and personal status courts with the ministries of Commerce and Investment; Energy, Industry and Mineral Resources; and Labor and Social Development this year to ensure speedy justice, an informed source said. Other organizations to be linked with the courts are the Council of Saudi Chambers, Saudi Arabian Monetary Agency, Capital Market Authority and Bureau of Investigation and Public Prosecution, the Passport Department, Prisons Authority and other related security agencies. "The Justice Ministry is now coordinating with these ministries and organizations and is ready to establish electronic linkage with them," the source told Okaz/Saudi Gazette. However, he said the ministry's endeavors to establish linkage with other ministries faced obstacles due to differences in their electronic systems. "We are now in the process of consulting experts to find technical solutions for this problem," he added. The Justice Ministry announced on Monday that it has already established electronic linkage with 11 government agencies and taken initiatives to set up linkage with five new departments this year to reduce judicial procedures and speed up litigation process. The executive courts were the first to establish electronic linkage with other government agencies, which enabled them to catch hold of those defendants who delay implementation of court verdicts or try to run away from implementing them, by cancelling their commercial registrations and entering into their investment portfolios and stocks. Dr. Saleh Bin Ahmed Al-Muqrin, assistant justice minister for information technology, said a number of government agencies would be linked with courts within the first three months of the Hijrah year 1438. "We have activated 45 new electronic services and the number will reach 56 services when the linkage is completed with five new government agencies this year," he explained. There are 11 reasons for expediting the ministry's efforts to establish electronic linkage with other government agencies, he said. "We want to establish speedy justice, improve quality of judicial services, save time and energy of beneficiaries, make use of modern technology in judicial procedures, facilitate judicial services and open new channels of contacts with individuals," he added. Ensuring accuracy in judicial services and procedures, reducing the number of people visiting courts, preserving the secrecy of information, promoting electronic communication and protecting the rights of people quickly are the other objectives of electronic linkage. The ministry has conducted a survey of ministries and agencies need to be linked with courts to ensure speedy justice. "We have started enjoying the fruits of electronic linkage with other government departments from the first day," Al-Muqrin told Okaz/Saudi Gazette.
