‘Judiciary is in heavy weather, partly due to ICT problems’

Judges and public prosecutors warn in a letter to the Senate and House of Representatives that the judiciary is ‘in dire straits’. This is partly due to inadequate ICT facilities and a shortage of money due to ICT problems.

The NVvR, in which judges and public prosecutors are represented, writes in the letter that the judiciary has been under pressure for some time. “Due to the acute shortage of judges and public prosecutors and their support, their structural overload and the inadequate ICT facilities, the quality of our justice system is increasingly jeopardized. The justice system as an organization has also found itself in financial hardship.”

With the latter, the organization refers to the problems surrounding the KEI digitization project, the costs of which increased to more than 200 million euros with a budget of 60 million euros. There is no longer a financial buffer, the NVvR warns in the letter, and the organization doubts whether the judiciary can withstand another round of cuts. For example, a new round could result in a ‘serious impairment of the functioning of the judiciary’.

Earlier, the Council for the Judiciary explained that the financial problems have two causes. On the one hand, the proceeds of digitization had to absorb earlier cutbacks. Because this project has to deal with problems, this income is not there. The NVvR describes this in the current letter as ‘a big noose’. In addition, the organization pointed to a decrease in the number of lawsuits, which entails a decrease in the budget. However, this decrease does not apply to fixed costs.

The NVvR says it will set up its own working group that will work on solutions. One of the solutions proposed by the organization is to change the current governance model.