Nassau,
The Bahamas – The Honourable Z. C. Allyson Maynard
Gibson, Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs opened Eugene
Dupuch Law School’s (EDLS) Annual Legal Education Week on Monday,
February 1st. The theme of this year’s week of events, hosted by the law
school’s Student Association, is "Extending the legacy of honour,
integrity, scholarship, service, excellence and advocacy."
The
Attorney General was interviewed by a student from EDLS and shared her
thoughts on the successes and the challenges of the justice system and
emphasized the importance Swift Justice, an initiative focused on
improving the effectiveness and efficiency of the Judicial System.
“Swift
Justice is not just a catch phrase. We set about bringing all of the
stakeholders and the administration of justice together so that we would
take away avoidable inefficiencies,” she explains. “The result of
which, in 2015 we tried 110 more cases than we did in 2012. We have
doubled the conviction rate, we have decreased the backlog by allocating
resources, we have built 10 criminal courts, we have improved our
system of jurors, and we have welcomed to the table international
partners”.
The Attorney General encouraged law students to get
involved in informing justice system reform and contributing to a Safer
Bahamas.
“You have a role to play in people being confident in
the system. We have to buy into what is happening in our courts. Justice
starts and ends with the citizens of our country. It starts with a
citizen who thinks they saw an offense and reports it to the police.
That person has to agree to become a witness. In today’s world that’s
challenging, which is why we have anonymity and witness protection” said
The Attorney General.
The Attorney General also shared an
update on the Freedom of Information Act, indicating she expects to
introduce it for cabinet approval before the 2016/2017 budget.
A
video of the Attorney General’s talk is available on the Stronger
Bahamas’ Facebook, Twitter and Youtube pages. People can continue the
conversation on social media using #AsktheAG. For more information on
Swift Justice and Stronger Bahamas visit www.strongerbahamas.com