30 April 2020 – Announcement: Phased re-opening of the Courts of Seychelles
In consultation with Ministry of Health and Department of Risk and Disaster Management, the Judiciary has developed a plan for its phased re-opening. Over the next seven weeks the courthouses will be reopened in four phases:
Weeks 1 & 2: 4th May – 15 May 2020: Systematic cleaning of courthouses and preparation for reopening. Current operating practices will remain in place.
Weeks 3 & 4: 18-29 May 2020: Administrative re-opening:
Weeks 5 & 6: 1-12 June 2020: Resumption of court hearings– Priority cases only and scheduled cases on Mahe and Praslin
Weeks 7: 15 June 2020 Full court functioning subject to new processes and procedures
These phases may change after consultation with the relevant authorities.
The priority of the Judiciary is to ensure the reduction of the likelihood of contracting the COVID-19 virus through the implementation of best practice standards, including:
- Promoting good levels of personal safety and hygiene for clients and employees;
- Ensuring the maintaining of safe social distances;
- The protection of vulnerable clients and employees; and
- Encouraging and adopting technologies to reduce the need for gatherings.
In line with these goals, the Judiciary will also implement the following measures across all Judiciary facilities as they open:
Access control
- All visitors to the courts will have to be screened and sign in and out indicating the reason for visiting the court;
- For the duration of a declared Public Health Emergency, only parties, lawyers and witnesses will be permitted to enter the courtrooms except in cases involving minors; Hand sanitisers will be available at the Court entrance and all visitors must use it before entering;
- Court users will not be allowed to congregate outside courtrooms;
- Where the number of people in any Judiciary facility exceeds that facility’s ability to maintain social distancing, access to the facility will be denied and overflow waiting areas will be utilized. These overflow facilities will facilitate social distancing and have hand sanitiser available;
- All Judiciary employees will be required to log their arrival and have their temperature taken.
Public spaces in Judiciary facilities
- Court facilities will be cleaned regularly and logged;
- All public areas will be demarcated using signs and other visual aids to maintain social distancing. This will be monitored and enforced using existing security personnel;
- The canteen, when reopened, will limit the number of persons.
Courtrooms
- All courtrooms, when reopened, will limit the number of persons in any court room at any given time. This will be enforced the by the relevant judicial officer and court usher;
- Every courtroom will have a designated usher to manage courtroom capacity;
- Court rooms, depending on their size, will be demarcated using signs and visual aids, to ensure social distancing;
- Every courtroom will have hand sanitiser at the entrance to the courtroom;
- Members of the public are discouraged from attending court and persons wanting proceedings can request copies of the proceedings from the Registrar;
- Courtroom attendance will prioritise legal practitioners and witnesses and persons whose presence is required for the proceedings;
- If the media wishes to cover any proceedings, requests must be made in advance to the Office of the Chief Justice so the necessary arrangements can be made;
- Where a courtroom is at full capacity, all other persons waiting to attend a hearing will not be permitted to congregate outside the courtroom and the designated waiting areas are to be utilized until notified by the court usher. Judicial Officers will not allow any matter to proceed unless he/she is satisfied that social distancing is being maintained;
- Court users will not be allowed to remain in the building or use Judiciary facilities to interact socially. Once a court user has finished their business, they may be requested to leave the facility;
- Where a courtroom cannot accommodate proceedings in line with the above, the Judiciary will relocate that court or tribunal to a suitable facility or adapt the proceedings as necessary;
- All matters than can be done via videolink will continue to be done in this manner.
Judiciary facilities (employees)
- All shared workspaces will be inspected and if, necessary, reconfigured (depending on the size of the shared workspace) to ensure social distancing is maintained;
- A sickbay will be established at:
- Palais de Justice
- Unity House
E-services and court processes
The Judiciary will investigate certain processes that can be done electronically.
The Supreme Court and Magistrates Courts will review and revise court processes and practices to reduce non-essential attendance at the courthouses.
Prosedir atraver bann staz gradyel pou re-ouver bann lakour Sesel
An konsiltasyon avek Departman Minister Lasante e Departman Zesyon Risk e Dezas, Departman Zidisyer in devlop en plan pou gradyelman re-ouver lakour. Pandan sa 7(set) semenn ki swiv, bann lakour pou ganny re-ouver dan 4 (kat) staz:
Premye e Dezyenm semenn: Le kat (4) Me ziska Le kenz (15) Me 2020: Netwayaz konplet pou ganny fer dan tou bann lakour e preparasyon pou re-ouver. Bann prosedir aktyel ki pe ganny pratike pou reste an plas.
Trwazyenm e Katrienm Semenn: Le 18 Me ziska Le 29 Me 2020: Re-ouvertir bann fonksyon administrativ.
Senkyenm e Sizyenm Semenn: Le Premyer (1er) Zen ziska le douz (12) Zen 2020: kontinyasyon bann ka ki pou ganny ekoute- Sa I Selman bann ka ki priorite e bann ka ki’n deza ganny progranmen lo Mae e Pralen.
Setyenm Semenn: Le Kenz (15) Zen 2020: Fonksyonnman konplet pour tou bann lakour an akor avek bann nouvo prose e prosedir.
Sa bann staz I kapab sanze apre konsiltasyon avek bann lotorite konsernen.
Priorite Zidisyer I pou fer sir ki I annan rediksyon dan posibilite pou kontrakte Viris Covid-19 antraver enplimantasyon bann meyer pratik dapre standar e sa I enkli:
- Promouvwar en o nivo sekirite e lizyenn personnel pour tou bann kliyan e travayer.
- Pou fer sir ki tou dimoun i mentenir zistans sosyal;
- Proteksyon bann kliyan ki vilnerab e bann travayer; e
- Ankouraze e adopte bann teknolozi pou redwir nesesite pour bann rasanbleman.
An konformite avek sa bann lobzektiv, Departman Zidisyer pou osi enplimant sa bann mezir swivan dan tou son bann fasilite anmezir zot ouver.
Akse Kontrole
- Tou bann viziter ki pe vin kot bann lakour pour bezwen pas antraver en prosedir triyaz (screened) e sinyen letan zot pe antre / sorti e osi endike pour ki rezon zot pe vin kot lakour;
- Pandan sa peryod letan kot en deklarasyon Irzans dan lasante Piblik in ganny anonse, I Selman bann parti, bann avoka e bann temwen ki pou ganny permet pou antre anndan dan bann lakour eksepte si I annan bann ka ki enplik bann zanfan; bann dezenfektan pour lanmen pou disponib kot larantre lakour e tou bann viziter I bezwen servi li avan ki zot antre;
- Bann dimoun ki pe servi lakour pa pou ganny permet pou rasanble an deor lakour;
- Kot I annan en gran kantite dimoun dan nenport fasilite zidisyer ki depas lakantite ki son fasilite in etablir pou mentenir zistans sosyal, akse avek sa fasilite pou ganny refize e lezot landrwa pour dimoun espere pou ganny servi.
- Sa bann lezot landrwa I avek bi pou fasilit zistans sosyal e pou osi annan dezenfektan pour lanmen;
- Tou bann travayer Zidisyer pour ganny demande pou anrezistre zot larive e zot tanperatir ganny pran.
Lespas pour manm piblik dan bann fasilite Zidisyer
- Bann fasilite lakour pou ganny netwaye regilyerman e apre anrezistre:
- Tou bann landrwa piblik pou ganny demarke an servan bann idantifikasyon e osi bann lezot ilistrasyon pou mentenir zistans sosyal. Sa pour ganny sipervize e ranforsi par bann zofisye sekirite;
- Kantin, letan I pou re-ouver,I pou annan en limit lo lakantite dimoun ki pou annan akse anndan.
Bann Lakour
- Tou bann lakour, letan zot re-ouver, pou annan en limit lo lakantite dimoun dan nenport lakour a nenport moman donnen. Sa pou ganny ranforsi par bann zofisye zidisyer e travayer zidisyer ki responsab sak lakour;
- Tou bann lakour pour annan son travayer respektiv ki repsonsab sa lakour pou mentenir kapasite sa lakour;
- Bann lakour, depandan lo son grander, pou ganny demarke an servan bann idantifikasyon e osi bann ilistrasyon pou fer sir ki I annan zistans sosyal;
- Tou bann lakour pou annan dezenfektan pour lanmen kot larantre sak lakour;
- Tou bann manm piblik I ganny dekouraze pou vin ekout ka devan lakour e tou dimoun ki anvi bann rikord ki’n ganny tipe lo bann ka ki’n pase devan lakour, zot kapab demann bann kopi sa bann rikord avek Rezistra;
- Priorite pour bann dimoun ki zot prezans i ganny rekomande anndan dan bann lakour I al pour bann zofisye legal (avoka), bann temwen e bann dimoun ki zot prezans I neseser pour sa bann prose;
- Si medya I swete pou kouver okenn ka ki pase devan lakour, zot bann demann I bezwen ganny fer davans kot lofis Sef Ziz pou ki bann laranzman neseser i ganny fer;
- Dan en ka kot kapasite en lakour I plen, tou bann lezot dimoun ki pe espere pou ekout en ka pa pou ganny permet pou rasanble andeor sa lakour e bann landrwa ki’n ganny selekte pour bann dimoun espere pou ganny servi ziska ki sa zofisye lakour I notifye zot. Bann zofisye lakour pa pou permet okenn ka pou kontinyen amwen ki I satisfe ki zistans sosyal pe ganny mentenir.
- Bann dimoun ki servi lakour pa pou ganny permet pou reste anndan dan batiman oubyen servi bann fasilite Zidisyer pou enterakte sosyalman. Enn fwa ki en dimoun ki servi lakour in fini fer sa ki I ti pe vin fer, I kapab ganny demande pour kit landrwa.
- Dan en ka kot en lakour pa kapab fonksyonnen an relasyon avek tou sa ki’n ganny mansyonnen, Zidisyer pou bouz fonksyon sa lakour oubyen tribinal dan en lot fasilite konvenab oubyen adapte avek son bann ka kot I neseser;
- Tou bann ka ki kapab ganny fer atraver sistenm video (Video link) pou kontinyen ganny fer dan sa menm fason.
Fasilite Zidisyer (Travayer)
- Tou bann lofis kot travayer I asiz ansanm pou ganny egzaminen e si I neseser, re ganny organize (depandan lo grander sa lofis ) pou fer sir ki zistans sosyal I ganny mentenir;
- En lenfirmri (landrwa pou asiste bann ki malad) pou ganny etablir kot;
- Palais de Justice
- Unity House
E-services e prosedir lakour
Departman Zidisyer pou eksplor serten prosedir ki kapab ganny fer par sistenm elektronik.
Lakour Siprenm e bann lakour Mazistra pou revwar e reviz bann prosedir lakour e son bann Pratik pou redwir prezans bann dimoun ki pa esansyel kot bann lakour.
