The Ministry of Interior has confirmed that the remote trials are proceeding successfully as part the precautionary measures to prevent the spread of the coronavirus (Covid-19).
The ministry said on Sunday that actual trials under this method were held at the headquarters of the Court of Appeal in Lusail through the visual communication system, which was provided in co-operation with the Supreme Judicial Council and the Ministry of the Interior.
Judge Ali bin Khamis al-Sulaiti, Vice-President of the Court of Appeal, noted the potential provided by the new technology. He said that the remote trials system is a success of a joint efforts between the Supreme Judicial Council and the Ministry of Interior, which contributed to the progress of procedures for hearing cases while achieving the requirements of the social distancing measures.
He explained that the accused remains in his detention centre while the entire court is at its headquarters ... stressing that all guarantees for the detainees are ensured in the system of remote trials as in regular trials.
For his part, Abdulrahman al-Mohannadi, the First Prosecutor, said that the remote litigation technology is a successful step and has a great positive return, as it saves a lot of time and effort, and at this particular time, this step also fulfills the safety requirements in place to limit the spread of the coronavirus.
He added that the new system had been introduced to the Public Prosecution, and successful communication with various security departments has already taken place, indicating that as of the next session, the Public Prosecutor will not have to attend the courtroom, but will remain in his office and communication between him and the court and the accused will be made via video.
Brigadier Saif Mohamed al-Khayarin, Director of the Law Enforcement Department at the Ministry of Interior, praised the successful hearings of the statements of the accused remotely, which were made through the visual communication system, during which nine files were examined on Sunday without any technical obstacles in the system.
He said that this is one of the important projects that bear many aspects of positive returns, as there is no need to transfer the accused to the various courts, thus saving the time spent in the transfer process, and it ensures that the accused appear before the court at the specified time.
