The completion of Phase A of the new integrated court case management platform iJustice has been announced by the Deputy Minister of Research, Innovation and Digital Policy, Dr. Nicodemos Damianou, in the presence of the President and Members of the Cyprus Bar Association (CBA) and a representative of the Judicial Service.
In his initial intervention on Tuesday, 21 July, Damianou, stated, "As a Government, we are now, in practice, giving the digitalisation of Justice the emphasis that its importance requires, through the implementation of an evolutionary roadmap for the digital transformation of the sector.
As noted in an official announcement from the Deputy Ministry, Phase A is the first major milestone in the evolution of iJustice into a comprehensive digitalisation solution for the life cycle of judicial cases. It is a platform built on a new, modern technological foundation, with a simple and user-friendly work environment, which incorporates important new functionalities, such as the management of interim applications and the further harmonisation of the system with the provisions of the new Civil Procedure Regulations. A milestone of this phase is also the completion of the planning for the integration of the Commercial Court and the Maritime Court.
After warmly thanking the Judicial Service and the Cyprus Bar Association for their close cooperation, the Deputy Minister referred to the approach chosen for the project, which involves gradual implementation in distinct phases. “This is the basic approach with which, as a Deputy Ministry, we are now planning and implementing major digital transformation projects: gradual implementation, so that better risk management and the reduction of the delivery interval of the required system functions are possible, and with the active involvement of all relevant bodies at every stage of the process,” he stated.
The next phases of the project envisage the gradual integration of additional courts, jurisdictions and registries, the development of new functionalities, and the interconnection of iJustice with other government systems. At the same time, the possibility of integrating an Artificial Intelligence tool into the system, which would function as a supporting mechanism for legal research, is being explored, the announcement noted.
It pointed out that the iJustice platform is part of a broader plan for the overall digital modernisation of the Justice sector, which includes additional actions that will contribute to the more efficient conduct of judicial proceedings, the reduction of administrative and time burden and the better utilisation of digital information. Such actions include the implementation of a remote judicial proceedings system, the digital recording of judicial proceedings and the use of Artificial Intelligence for digital transcription, and the installation of screens in courtrooms for the direct viewing of documents.
On behalf of the Judicial Service, Registrar Andreas Tserkezos stated that Phase A of the iJustice upgrade is of major importance, by strengthening the infrastructure and architecture of the system in terms of performance, security and compliance, with new important functions while maintaining its usability for judges, lawyers and citizens. He thanked all stakeholders for their cooperation, emphasising that the goal is to further utilise technology in the courts to save time and costs and deliver Justice more effectively. “We are not standing idle,” Tserkezos said, “we are trying to give justice what it deserves.” He thanked the Deputy Minister for the critical decisions taken at the appropriate times, and all those involved for the cooperation and commitment they have shown and continue to show in this ambitious effort, noting in practice the ways in which the implementation of the system facilitates the daily work of its users.
The President of the Cyprus Bar Association, Michael Vorkas, congratulated the Government for its response to the long-standing demands of the legal community for the modernisation of the Justice System. “Today we are many steps ahead, thanks to the diligence and the work that has been done, which elevates Cyprus to the top,” he said. Vorkas gave assurances that the Cyprus Bar Association will continue to actively support the effort, thanking in particular the lawyers who voluntarily contributed to the design and improvement of the system. He underlined, finally, that technology, in combination with the new Civil Procedure Regulations and the human factor, can contribute decisively to reducing delays and to the more efficient administration of Justice — a basic prerequisite for a state of law, economic and business development, attracting investment and strengthening society’s trust in the Justice System.
On her part, Louisa Protopapa, a Member of the Cyprus Bar Association Council, thanked the Deputy Minister for the initiative of including the Association in the Project Council, noting that where there is cooperation and a willingness to listen and solve the problem, the result is delivered within the timescales and to the degree of satisfaction required.
The Project is funded by the National Recovery and Resilience Plan, Cyprus Tomorrow.
