Annual Report of the Judiciary of Trinidad and Tobago 2012-2013 Annual Report 2012-2013 | Page 23

Examples of countries with similar legal backgrounds which undertook judicial reforms
were also highlighted during discussions with the Ministry of Public Administration. The
following summarises how the systems in these countries evolved.

Country

Major Reforms

Singapore

Singapore moved from a colonial type system where there was no
Judicial independence, since the Chief Judge was a member of
Cabinet, and one in which there were lengthy delays and a high
volume of backlogs, to an independent judiciary that has been
acknowledged as the best in the world. After independence and
the separation of powers, all court administration functions
remained with the Chief Justice.

Ireland

Through legislation, Ireland established a corporate body called
the Court Service, to service and manage the courts and provide
services to and for the judges, and to provide other services
relating to courts administration, to transfer certain property to
the service, to make provision for the staffing of the service, and to
provide for related matters. The Court Service is a body corporate
with perpetual succession and power to sue and be sued in its
corporate name.

Kenya

The Kenyan Constitution was re-written and adopted in 2010
giving the Judiciary full independence and removing it as a
“handmaiden” of the Executive, as noted in the document entitled
“Judiciary Transformation Framework 2012-2016 – Laying the
foundations for the transformation of the Kenyan Jud iciary”. A key
feature of the new Kenyan Constitution is that it provides funding
through a “Judiciary Fund” with the autonomy for its management by the Kenyan Judiciary.

Mr Justice Geoffrey Henderson and Chief Magistrate Marcia Ayers Caesar both members of the
Steering Committee introducing and implementing the Drug Treatment Court in Trinidad and
Tobago during a tour of the courtroom in San Fernando

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Reshaping the

Judiciary Identity