Financial Independence for Judiciary to Resolve Long-Standing Issues and Improve Court Functioning

Chief Judicial Administrator Amjad Musthafa has stated that the government's decision to grant financial independence to the judiciary will enhance the functioning of the courts and address many long-standing challenges.

In an interview with PSM News, Amjad highlighted that the judiciary has long faced financial constraints. This has caused challenges in the availability of court facilities and the recruitment of sufficient staff, he said.

President Dr Mohamed Muizzu has taken the step to provide financial independence to the judicial sector to effectively address these challenges. The draft budget for the upcoming year allocates USD 52.38 million for the judicial sector.

Amjad said the government’s decision will allow the courts greater flexibility in recruiting the required number of staff and other requirements of the courts. This will, in turn, bring overall improvement to judicial efficiency, he said.

"Whether you are building or renovating, you have to obtain permits from the Ministry of Finance, which takes several days. However, with financial independence, this process will be much faster and simpler,” Amjad explained.

Amjad noted that difficulties in paying bills for services sought by the court from various parties will be resolved with the President's decision. Next year's budget represents the largest ever allocation for recruitment and salaries, he noted.

The President announced the decision to grant financial independence to the judiciary on 11 September this year. The new system will allocate a certain percentage of the state revenue to the judiciary as block grants under a specific policy.