KOTA KINABALU: The Sabah Law Society (SLS) is making arrangements with the Chief Judge of Sabah and Sarawak Datuk Abang Iskandar Abang Hashim and other court officers for the issuance of a Practice Direction for the conduct of virtual and video conferencing hearings in light of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Its president, Roger Chin, in a statement here today, said these steps are necessary in order to ensure that the wheels of justice keep turning whilst minimising the risk of spreading the Covid-19 infection between the bench, bar and members of the public.
“The intended measures are made possible thanks in large part to the innovations made via the Case Management System (CMS) platform which is used by the High Court in Sabah and Sarawak.
“Many matters may soon be conducted via the CMS and video conferencing, which previously required attendance in person. The SLS is grateful to the Chief Judge of Sabah and Sarawak and court officers for their proactiveness and cooperation during this difficult time,” he said.
Chin said SLS hoped that the measures currently in the works will continue to be used even after the pandemic has been dealt with, as the world moves towards virtual and online communications.
Having technology available is, however, useless without the willingness to learn and adapt, he added. – Bernama
