...as judges and magistrates undergo refresher training
WHITE collar crime remains the biggest challenge crippling the country's economy.
Minister of Law and Justice, Richard Ramoeletsi, says the government had therefore seen the need to capacitate judges and magistrates to effectively adjudicate over the ever-rising money laundering and corruption cases.
Mr Ramoeletsi said this in his keynote address during the week-long training of 60 judges and magistrates on handling corruption, money laundering, fraud, cybercrimes, and other serious economic offenses which started on Monday in Maseru.
The training bankrolled by the European Union (EU) Support for the Reform and Strengthening of Governance in Lesotho Programme, is facilitated by Fitz-Roy Drayton, a United Nations adviser.
Mr Ramoeletsi said Mr Drayton was engaged to equip the judiciary with knowledge and skills to better handle white collar crime.
"Money laundering poses a serious threat to the integrity of the economy and financial system and the security of the citizens," Mr Ramoeletsi said.
"The effects of corruption are wide-ranging: corruption discourages investment; limits economic growth and adversely alters the spending of government often to the detriment of future economic growth, and resources are diverted from their most beneficial use.
"Consultancy service is engaged to equip the judiciary with knowledge and skills to better handle corruption, money laundering, fraud, and other related financial crimes. This training is coming at the opportune time, to enhance the capacity of the justice system to deal with aspects of both criminal and civil litigation and to convict criminals who abuse the financial system and to better handle forfeiture of assets related to economic crimes."
Mr Ramoeletsi said the world was constantly evolving and it was therefore prudent that the judiciary was kept abreast and adapts to the changes to positively impact the work of judicial officers.
"Given that societies and their legal landscape are constantly evolving, preservice legal training cannot be regarded as sufficient to ensure that judges work efficiently throughout their time at the bench, no matter the quality and duration of initial training. It is a judge's duty to keep informed of changes to legislation and relevant case law to help judges stay up to date, especially given the heavy workload judges face in some cases.
"It is the duty of the government to provide sufficient funding and other resources to those responsible for conducting training and to establish systems to ensure that all members of the judiciary are enabled to undertake training. Judicial training is essential to ensure high standards of competence and performance, and is fundamental to guarantee judicial independence, the rule of law and protection of human rights of all people."
On her part, the EU Ambassador Paola Amadei, said the training proved the EU's commitment to help Lesotho and the judiciary to administer justice effectively.
"The activity we are launching today embodies our collective commitment to enhancing the efficiency and quality of justice service delivery. The European Union is proud to support this critical training, specifically aimed at improving the capacity of the judiciary to better adjudicate cases involving complex economic crimes.
"Financial crimes such as money laundering, corruption, and fraud pose significant threats to the economy of society. It is imperative that the judiciary is well-equipped to address these challenges effectively, ensuring justice and maintaining the integrity of the financial system.
"Over the course of this training, sixty judges and magistrates from across all districts in Lesotho will work together with an international expert with extensive experience in training judicial officers in various jurisdictions.
"The comprehensive nature of this training cannot be overstated. It covers crucial elements such as judicial case management, evidence handling, procedures for money laundering and its predicate offences, and the intricacies of mutual legal assistance. By the end of these workshops, we expect an enhanced capacity among judges and magistrates to adjudicate over serious economic offences with greater efficiency and precision. We anticipate improved efficiency in handling financial crimes, both in criminal and civil litigation," Ms Amadei said.
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Justice Maseforo Mahase, on behalf of Chief Justice Sakoane Sakoane, thanked the EU for the financial support and also implored her colleagues to take the training seriously and ensure it equips them with the necessary skills.
"I am happy that after so many years, we are having a workshop of this kind. The purpose and objectives of this workshop are to tackle the ever-increasing crime of money laundering and corruption. Let us embrace and participate and do all that we can to make it a success.
"We hear so much from the media about money laundering and corruption, but we don't see cases proceeding. I may be wrong but all I know is there is a lot of noise about certain people being charged, but we never see the end of these cases. I acknowledge the fact that once again the EU has come to our rescue, they have always been funding the government of Lesotho," said Justice Mahase.
