Jordan: Cooperates with US to strengthen rule of law

Minister of Justice Ayman Odeh and US Ambassador David Hale on Tuesday marked the completion of the automation of Jordan’s court system.

The two officials, who were joined by Chief Justice Mohammad Al Rakkad and other judges and ministers, noted the success of Jordanian-American cooperation in the area of judicial reform, according to a statement released by the US embassy yesterday.

“Jordan has made great progress in modernising its entire judicial system to be more responsive, more transparent and more independent,” Hale said at yesterday’s ceremony.

The automation initiative began in 2004 with $19 million in support from the USAID-backed Rule of Law Project.

Over the last four years, the initiative has assisted the Kingdom in automating court procedures and increasing public access to information through automated systems and kiosks.

As a result of the initiative, all courts in the Kingdom are now computerised and key judicial departments have been streamlined to improve their efficiency and transparency, according to the statement.

In addition to automating court procedures, the Rule of Law Project has supported the Kingdom’s efforts to promote the independence of the judiciary.

With the programme’s assistance, Jordan strengthened the capacity of its Inspection and Monitoring Directorates to evaluate judges’ performance, and worked with civil society organisations to enhance their role in advocating and monitoring judicial independence, the statement added.

Ambassador Hale praised the recent achievements made in the Kingdom’s judiciary and predicted further cooperation between the two countries.

“The United States will continue to assist the Jordanian judiciary in their homegrown efforts to achieve an effective, efficient and independent justice system that protects human rights, encourages fair competition and promotes economic growth,” he said.

-- Jordan Times