ECOWAS court to continue with virtual sessions post COVID-19

The ECOWAS court of justice says it will continue with virtual sessions after the spread of COVID-19 is contained.

Several organisations worldwide adopted the virtual workspace following the outbreak of the coronavirus.

Meetings and conferences were held online and physical contact limited in a bid to curb the spread of the virus.

But Edward Asante, president of the court of justice, said the virtual processes introduced due to the COVID-19 pandemic have helped reduce the cost of pursuing cases.

According to NAN, Asante said the court had invested $138,000 in purchasing all the gadgets and software needed to make the virtual sessions seamless and as such there was no going back.

He explained that with the new virtual sessions, parties and their lawyers do not need to come to Abuja as hitherto required, but can file all processes and pursue their cases to the end from their home countries.

“The parties are in the countries with their lawyers. We have set up a system where they see us and we see them while the hearing goes on. This is very good for us and for them as well,” Asante said.

“So parties do not need to travel to Abuja by air; they do not have to house their lawyers in hotels. So, it is virtually free because they also bring their documents by email.

“The ECOWAS Court is meant for indigent parties; it is not meant for the rich. Therefore, for parties to fly themselves and their lawyers to Abuja to have hearings was a problem for us and we sympathised with them.

“Now that this one has come, at the cost of $138,000 we purchased all the gadgets, processes, systems and software, that is a huge expenditure by the Court and, therefore, it has come to stay.

“Whether there is COVID-19 or no COVID-19 we are going to do virtual hearings.

“Even the court room now as it is, the core staff members, the interpreters, the translators are all in the booths and those who are doing verbatim translation are in their offices doing their work.

“So, in the court room it is only the three judges who sit and the two or three court clerks who sit in front of them.”