Latest news with #MinistryOfJustice
Zawya
9 hours ago
- General
- Zawya
Saudi: 18 judicial circuits and 5 mobile notaries to serve pilgrims
MAKKAH - The Ministry of Justice has equipped 18 judicial departments to hear cases arising within the boundaries of the Grand Mosque in Makkah and the holy sites of Mina and Arafat. Five mobile notaries have also been provided to meet the documentation needs of pilgrims. The Ministry affirmed the readiness of the judicial departments and mobile notaries, and their provision of qualified personnel, thus contributing to saving pilgrims time and effort, enabling them to complete their cases and notarization processes efficiently and quickly. This is part of the ongoing efforts made by Saudi Arabia's government to serve pilgrims to the House of God. This step comes as part of the integration with other government agencies to provide comprehensive judicial and documentation services that meet the needs of pilgrims during the Hajj season. 160 e-services can also be availed through the "Najiz" platform and application, available on smart device stores. This step comes as part of the integration with other government agencies to provide comprehensive judicial and documentation services that meet the needs of pilgrims during the Hajj season. 160 e-services can also be availed through the "Najiz" platform and application, available on smart device stores. It is worth noting that the mobile notaries will provide documentation services to pilgrims, as well as security and health sector personnel, and others within the boundaries of the Grand Mosque and the holy sites. © Copyright 2022 The Saudi Gazette. All Rights Reserved. Provided by SyndiGate Media Inc. (
Reuters
17 hours ago
- Business
- Reuters
UK urged to reverse ruling on litigation funding, introduce 'light-touch regulation'
LONDON, June 2 (Reuters) - Britain should urgently reverse a landmark ruling that threw third-party funding of lawsuits into disarray, an influential advisory body recommended on Monday in a report which was welcomed by funders and industry critics alike. The Civil Justice Council (CJC) also called for "light-touch regulation" of the litigation funding sector, which is currently self-regulated, particularly where funding is provided for class action-style lawsuits or to consumers. Monday's report comes after Britain's funding industry was dealt a surprise blow in 2023, when the UK Supreme Court ruled that agreements used to fund many mass lawsuits were unenforceable as they did not comply with rules on so-called damages-based agreements. The CJC said the government should pass legislation to overturn the Supreme Court's decision "as soon as possible", citing the importance of funding for access to justice. Britain's previous government, which asked the CJC to review the sector, said last year it would reverse the Supreme Court decision, before the current government put legislation on hold pending the CJC's report. The Ministry of Justice said in a statement that it welcomed the report and would "outline next steps in due course." The CJC – which advises the government and judiciary on the civil justice system – called for some regulation, including requirements for funders to have adequate capital and provisions to prevent conflicts of interest. It also recommended that class action-style cases need court approval of funding agreements, to allow the court to consider whether the funder's return is fair, just and reasonable. The report rejected, however, the introduction of caps on funders' returns, which the CJC said could not properly take account of the risks of funding cases and was unnecessary for consumer protection if courts had to approve funding deals. Neil Purslow – chair of industry body the International Legal Finance Association, who also founded litigation funder Therium – welcomed the CJC's recommendation to legislate to reverse the Supreme Court ruling. Seema Kennedy, executive director of Fair Civil Justice, which has called for greater regulation of litigation funding, said the CJC's call to regulate the industry was "long overdue". She said: "Proper oversight is essential to protect consumers, ensure transparency, and restore public confidence in a sector that currently operates without sufficient safeguards." Litigation funding is increasingly used in Britain, with the CJC citing figures that funders in England and Wales had assets of 2.2 billion pounds ($3 billion) in 2021. English courts have repeatedly recognised the need for funding to bring mass lawsuits, where the case's total value is often in the billions but payouts to individual consumers can be as low as double figures. The CJC report comes after court approval of a 200 million-pound settlement in a case against Mastercard, despite the opposition of funder Innsworth, which stands to receive around 68 million pounds.
BBC News
a day ago
- Health
- BBC News
Court transcripts: 'I want to know what went on in my rape trial'
A woman from East Sussex says she feels "kept in the dark" as she cannot access free transcripts from a trial in which her ex-partner was acquitted of raping her. Caroline - not her real name - did not attend the trial in person apart from to give evidence and feels a court transcript would help her understand how the jury came to their verdict. Victims of serious sexual assault in England and Wales whose attackers are found guilty no longer have to pay for transcripts of judge's sentencing remarks as part of a pilot scheme launched by the Ministry of Justice (MoJ).The MoJ said: "We know the value transcripts can have for victims of rape and sexual offences." It said this was why the Lord Chancellor had confirmed that the pilot would be extended to improve transparency and support for Caroline's ex-partner was acquitted of the alleged rape and therefore did not receive sentencing remarks, she did not qualify for the scheme and would have had to pay £7,000 for the transcript. Caroline believes complainants whose trials do not result in guilty verdicts should also be eligible for a free copy of judge's summing up remarks."I don't know what went on in court," she said. "I don't know how the case was summed up. I don't know what the judge said. I'm completely in the dark about what went on," she said."We want to bring down the cost of transcriptions in criminal courts without compromising on accuracy and are looking at how to use emerging technology to do that," the MoJ spokesperson added. 'A right to choose' Caroline said she was advised by a police officer not to attend the trial, apart from to give evidence as it would "look odd" to the jury to have her sit in the public gallery after she had given evidence behind a of alleged sexual offences usually receive lifelong anonymity, including in court. Caroline felt that if she had attended court she would have had a better understanding of the trial. The Metropolitan Police said it was unable to comment on the claims around this case but it said there was no policy instructing officers to advise victims of rape, sexual or domestic abuse not to attend court after giving added that specially trained officers work with victims of rape, sexual and domestic abuse to ensure they feel safe and understand the process for giving evidence in court.A CPS spokesperson said: "Victims have a right to choose whether to attend the rest of a trial after they have given evidence and there is no CPS policy to advise them otherwise." If you are affected by any of the issues raised, help and support is available via the BBC Action Line. Caroline said she felt suicidal at the end of the investigated access to the transcript to help her try and process what had happened but could not afford the £7,000 quoted to be able to read the transcript of the whole trial - less if she were to buy just part of the transcripts pilot was launched for those whose cases were heard at a Crown Court and designed to tackle the financial barrier many survivors face when trying to access information about their month, Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood said she would make the scheme permanent, but under review, as part of a package of measures "in pursuit of a justice system that serves victims". Caroline said she was shocked she would have to "get a loan or to pay a lot of money" if she wanted to access the judge's summing up remarks."It just feels wrong," she said. "It feels like a slap in the face."Caroline added that she had not "healed or moved on" because of all the "unanswered questions".
Yahoo
3 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Officers could be murdered in jail attacks
Prison officers need to have stronger protection against attacks by inmates, their union has demanded after four assaults in a week. In the latest, at HMP Long Lartin in Worcestershire on Friday, an officer had to be airlifted for emergency surgery after being stabbed. Three others were hurt over two days at HMP Whitemoor in Cambridgeshire. Now Mark Fairhurst, of the Prison Officers' Association (POA), has said prisoners who pose the highest risk should be "totally locked down". "It's only a matter of time before one of my colleagues is murdered on duty," he added. Mr Fairhurst, the POA's national chair, told BBC Breakfast: "We know our jails are awash with all kinds of illicit items, but we very rarely lock them down." He called for facilities like so-called supermax prisons in the US, in which dangerous inmates are locked up and only have limited access to recreation and other facilities outside their cells. Rise in assaults on prison staff by inmates High-security unit inmates barred from kitchens after attack Prison violence harming rehabilitation - families After Friday's stabbing, West Mercia Police said initial inquiries suggested it was "isolated" and was not being treated as terrorism, and had followed a disagreement between an inmate and staff. In Cambridgeshire, two of the three injured officers had boiling water thrown over them. Responding to those attacks, the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) condemned them as "unacceptable". "We will not tolerate assaults on hard-working prison officers and will always push for the strongest punishments against perpetrators," it said. Concerns had already been raised over increased violence in prisons in recent months. In April, the government suspended access to kitchen facilities for high-security inmates, after Manchester Arena bomber Hashem Abedi threw hot oil at officers and stabbed them with a blade, at HMP Frankland in County Durham. The union leader linked the violence to increasing amounts of contraband finding their way into jails, often dropped by drones flying over the prison estate. "Why are our air spaces not tightened? Why do we have ingress of drones in our prisons?" Mr Fairhurst asked. "Surely there must be technology out there that prevents drones entering air spaces?" Earlier this month, police made two arrests after a drone was seen circling above Long Lartin. Mr Fairhurst's warning echoed that of the chief inspector of prisons, who said in January that the issue was "a threat to national security" and that police had effectively "ceded airspace" to criminal gangs. The MoJ said it was "gripping the situation by investing in prison maintenance and security, working with the police and others to tackle serious organised crime". Follow BBC Hereford & Worcester on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram. Prison officer has emergency surgery after stabbing Prison staff attacks prompt police investigation Two arrested after drone spotted above prison Prison Officers' Association
BBC News
4 days ago
- General
- BBC News
Two attacks on Whitemoor prison staff prompts police inquiry
Two members of prison staff are receiving hospital treatment after being happened at the high-security HMP Whitemoor in March, Cambridgeshire, on Tuesday and Wednesday, the Ministry of Justice (MOJ) are investigating what happened, with the MOJ condemning the attacks as "unacceptable"."We will not tolerate assaults on hard-working prison officers and will always push for the strongest punishments against perpetrators," the ministry said. It confirmed a member of staff was injured on Tuesday and a prison officer was hurt in a separate attack the following day. Follow Cambridgeshire news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
