ROBERTSPORTS – In response to the Judge’s Charge delivered by His Honor Ousman F. Feika of the Fifth Judicial Circuit Court in Robertsport, Grand Cape Mount County, Public Defender Boimah Passawe has decried the continuous recycling of jurors handling cases during court terms.
Passawe lamented that this practice has resulted in imbalances in the administration of justice in the county.
According to Cllr. Passawe, the failure to rotate jurors has made it difficult to ensure fair and impartial trials, particularly in his role as a public defender.
“These recycled jurors now see jury duty as a permanent job, focusing only on their daily allowance of six U.S. dollars instead of paying attention to the cases before them to make sound decisions,” Cllr. Passawe told the gathering.
He added that although jurors are knowledgeable about their roles, some downplay their duties due to tribal or religious biases, further complicating his work.
Passawe, therefore, called on the jury management to introduce changes in the selection process instead of reassigning the same individuals every term.
On another note, he appealed to the Judiciary Branch of government to provide vehicles to aid public defenders in carrying out their duties, particularly in reaching remote areas to respond to cases.
The Cape Mount public defender revealed that the lack of transportation has made it difficult for him to represent defendants at the Magisterial Court in Mano River Congo whenever cases arise.
“Representing accused persons in some parts of Grand Cape Mount County has been very challenging because I cannot afford the transportation costs on a motorbike to get there,” he added.
Cllr. Passawe disclosed that the lack of vehicles and stationery for public defenders is one of the major factors undermining the justice system.
Poor Court Conditions & County Development Plans
For his part, Grand Cape Mount County Superintendent Foday Katamba described the Circuit Court as sitting in an embarrassing environment with little to no space for judicial actors to work freely.
According to Mr. Katamba, the Judiciary has already purchased five acres of land, and he intends to add one more acre to create a more spacious environment where lawyers can argue cases freely and attend court sessions without being packed together “like sardines.”
“The additional land space will help prevent jury tampering,” he noted.
“We can’t have respected lawyers crammed together in a courtroom when we have the ability to change that. In cases involving jury trials, how do we ensure their independence under these conditions?” he questioned.
The superintendent emphasized that Grand Cape Mount County is a land of opportunities that its citizens must learn to utilize.
“People often come in the name of investors but only end up exploiting our people before disappearing,” he remarked.
Superintendent Katamba also disclosed that authorities are working to revamp the county’s education system to restore its past glory.
“Grand Cape Mount once produced some of the brightest minds, many of whom are prominent figures in society today. We must reactivate the things that helped us produce great scholars in the past,” he stated.
Additionally, he announced that plans are underway to renovate the county’s hotel to create job opportunities for citizens and contribute to the County Development Fund.
Katamba called on Cape Mountainians to attend a pending meeting—date yet to be announced—where the future of the county will be discussed.
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