LONDON, October 28, 2022 /PRNewswire/ — At a press conference in Male, Maldives on the 22ndndOctober 2022Judge Malcolm Simmons said: “Programs to assess judicial performance identify gaps in legal skills and knowledge, increase the transparency, coherence and accountability of the judicial system, improve case and court management, and promote greater public understanding of the courts. They are an essential tool for improving the quality of justice and the effectiveness and efficiency of the judicial system.”
The Judicial Performance Evaluation Policy was designed by Judge Malcolm Simmons. After the successful completion of a pilot project earlier this year, all judges and prosecutors of the Maldives is now subject to a performance review every two years. The assessment process will identify knowledge and skills gaps and support the Judicial Academy in delivering training courses to meet identified training needs. The new assessment policy will focus on legal reasoning, impartiality and integrity, professionalism, communication and case management. Judges are assessed against a judicial competency framework. Judges who consistently fail to meet acceptable standards can be removed from office.
“The Judiciary Performance Assessment will serve to increase public confidence in the administration of the justice system,” Justice Simmons said.
Judge since 2017 Malcolm Simmons advised the high judiciary and those responsible for the administration of justice. Judge Simmons has extensive experience in large judicial and rule of law projects in the Maldives and Asia. He carried out an evaluation of the legal education offer; draft of the current training curriculum for judges; developed the policy for evaluating judges and prosecutors; Conducted training for instructor programs in areas such as criminal practice and procedure, administering court proceedings, ethics and behavior, legal reasoning and judgement, sexual and gender-based violence and…
