‘Judiciary has no space for the corrupt’

Mukono, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The Deputy Chief Justice, Richard Buteera, has expressed concern about corruption tendencies reported within the judiciary, particularly at the chief magistrate’s courts. He raised these concerns while closing a nine-day induction training for newly recruited chief magistrates at Collin Hotel in Mukono.

Justice Buteera emphasized the judiciary’s commitment to a zero-tolerance policy for corruption, emphasizing that there is no place for corruption within the judiciary. He called on the public to provide evidence of corruption so that appropriate action can be taken.

To address these issues, Justice Buteera advised chief magistrates to supervise, mentor, coach, and guide the magistrates under their jurisdiction.

“The processing of court records should not be left to clerical officers. It is your work. These records are yours; they reflect poor work for the judicial officer. On acquittal, the accused persons are entitled to their cash bail. The judicial officers should facilitate the recovery of their cash bail,” Justice Buteera emphasized.

Furthermore, he highlighted the importance of judicial officers conducting their work mainly in open court, allowing the public to observe and critique their performance as they issue judgments.

“As you work you are being assessed by the lawyers, the litigants, and other members of the public. They know which Judicial Officer comes late, takes bribes, or is habitually drunk. There are Judicial Officers who are known for their hard work, good stakeholder engagement, and honesty. Kindly be this judicial officer,” he said.

Justice Buteera also recommended strategies for clearing and controlling case backlogs, including embracing alternative dispute resolution methods. “Plea bargaining as an innovation is performing very well and I appeal to you to try as much as possible to sensitize the people and stakeholders about the advantages and gains of plea bargaining in the criminal justice sector,” he said.

The training program awarded certificates to 20 chief magistrates who were recruited earlier in the year, bringing the total number of chief magistrates in the country to 91 from 78. Justice Damalie Lwanga, Executive Director of the Judicial Training Institute, acknowledged the importance of such training sessions and called on the magistrates to implement what they learned and uphold the judicial code of conduct.

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