There has been significant progress in the productivity levels of four municipality courts, which succeeded in resolving a large number of cases.
Executive Director of the Judicial System Monitoring Program (JSMP) Luis Oliveira Sampaio said that in 2015 for instance the Dili Municipality Court (DMC) heard 20 corruption cases, with six cases resolved and the others still in process.
“In 2014, they (DMC) resolved 14 cases, but in 2015 there were 20 corruption cases resolved and that is significant progress,” said Sampaio in Dili.
In 2015, the Appeals court resolved 75 cases, while the DMC also resolved 1256 crime cases and 210 civil cases.
Of those, JSMP observed 482 cases, said Sampaio.
The Baucau Municipality Court (BMC) has resolved 555 crime cases and 45 civil cases, while the Suai Municipality Court resolved 270 crime cases and 20 civil cases.
The Oecusse Court handled 253 cases, including 234 crimes and 19 civil cases, of which JSMP observed 136.
Sampaio said the four courts also resolved 564 domestic violence cases, 102 cases of sexual violence, 20 cases involving sexual violence against children and 40 cases of sexual abuse.
While Deputy Member of National Parliament Jorge Teme acknowledged the progress achieved by the four courts, he urged the government to create proper conditionsto ensure that this continued.
He also called on the government to establish courts in other municipalities so that all Timorese people could haveaccess to formal justice.
