Riyadh, The Justice Minister, Dr. Walid bin Mohammed Al-Samaani, stated that the world is experiencing rapid changes in all economic and social aspects, and it is the responsibility of all judicial authorities worldwide to keep up with these changes, especially in digital transformation.
Dr. Al-Samaani made these remarks during the main session of the International Conference on Justice (ISJ) titled “Future of the Justice System in Light of Digital Transformation.” The session also featured the participation of Moroccan Minister of Justice Abdellatif Wehbe, Tunisian Minister of Justice Leila Jaffel, Senior Parliamentary Secretary for Health and Law of Singapore, Rahayu Mahzam, and Vice-President of European Union Agency for Criminal Justice Cooperation, Bostjan Skrelc.
Dr. Al-Samaani emphasized that digital transformation in the world is not just about capabilities and infrastructure, but it is also about the basis of business. Therefore, digital transformation in the judicial sector is not just related to the means but also related to the core of the business, controlling procedures, achieving transparency, and monitoring judicial guarantees, as well as shifting the legislative and objective aspects. He added that this conference confirms the Kingdom’s leadership in all aspects, including justice.
The Justice Minister emphasized that digital transformation will become a reality in all sectors, especially the judicial and legal sectors, in the near future. He also stressed that the elements of legal work in terms of reality or procedures are all essential, and their nature is consistent with all changes related to digital transformation. Therefore, digital transformation does not represent a challenge to judicial guarantees, but rather is the basis for its realization.
Dr. Al-Samaani referred to the Kingdom’s digital experience in the judiciary, where more than 6 million video sessions were held, and more than two million judgments were issued from the First Instance Courts, Appellate Courts, and Supreme Courts. All guarantees and transparency were achieved in their highest form, and the process was digital from the beginning of filing the case until execution. He also mentioned the Virtual Enforcement Court, which receives four million applications annually, and the implementation of the request does not take more than five days. He indicated that all these numbers confirm that digital transformation in the Kingdom is not just a means, but rather a consolidation of the base of justice in all its forms.
Dr. Al-Samaani added, “We view digital transformation as facilitating access to justice, and experience has proven that perception, as all workers in the Kingdom can file a labour lawsuit, and a judgment is issued within less than two months with the appeal.” He stressed that digital transformation is the future of the judiciary and consolidation of the rules of justice.
Regarding the challenges of digital transformation, the Justice Minister acknowledged the fears and concerns associated with it, but at the same time, he emphasized that digital transformation will be a reality in the next few years. It must be dealt with as a path and not an option because it does not affect human work but exchanges roles, so technology becomes the enabler and the primary building block for judicial processes, and individuals shift to the role of supervision and observer to achieve judicial guarantees. This calls for highly qualified workers in the judicial sectors.
He also pointed out that the legislative challenge is one of the most prominent challenges of digital transformation in the judicial field, along with highly qualifying members of the justice system and the technical link with several agencies.
Moroccan Minister of Justice Abdellatif Wehbe stressed the importance of caution when dealing with digitization as it may threaten the independence of the judge, the conditions for a fair trial, and the protection of the accused. He emphasized the need to control the digital path of justice from beginning to end and the importance of Arab coordination to exchange experiences in digital transformation.
Tunisian Minister of Justice Leila Jaffel stressed the importance of digital transformation in facilitating judicial work and shortening litigation periods while emphasizing the need to develop infrastructure. She added that the human judge remains the original and indispensable.
Senior Parliamentary Secretary for Health and Law of Singapore, Rahayu Mahzam, praised the Kingdom’s experience with digital transformation in the justice and judicial fields, as well as the digital services and developments she witnessed during the Justice Technologies Exhibition. She confirmed that Singapore is also working on the same.
Vice-President of the European Union Agency for Criminal Justice Cooperation, Bostjan Skrelc, highlighted the importance of digital transformation in criminal justice to address crimes in cyberspace. He stressed the importance of international cooperation in this regard and the need to build trust for international judicial cooperation.
Source: Saudi Press Agency
