The Supreme Court Registry bounced back into operation shortly after it was channa-bomed last month, but there are a few setbacks in the system which include damage to recent files and records cataloguing a body of work completed in various courts this year.

The Commercial Court, like many others was not directly affected, but records reflecting close to 1,000 completed cases for 2009 in that court have been destroyed. However, efforts are ongoing to gather information for several files and in some cases, entire files are being reconstructed.

The Registry has been dusted and fumigated and is working as normal, a source said, but there remains no clear indication as to the real impact of the damage. Since the November 5 arson attack that razed the northern section of the Registry some files have been counted among the records destroyed based on court dates.

“If a lawyer comes to the counter and requests a file we count it among the damaged when it cannot be located. There is no system currently in place to say from the onset that a particular file went up in flames,” the source said. Based on what has been concluded so far it is estimated that around fifty files might have been destroyed.

Files are currently being reconstructed at the Registry with the assistance of some attorneys who make available their own copies of the files. “We may be in the process of reconstructing, but all it takes is about one or two adjournments and the case can continue,” the source said in explaining the impact of the damage on actual court hearings.

According to the source, a file can be reconstructed in a day because information is being sourced from some of the books in the Registry as well as the minutes from the court. To date, some 20 files have been reconstructed. In addition to the damaged files, staff at the Registry were also re-writing sections of a few files which were destroyed.

The Registry maintains computerized records of every case filed within recent years, but the information inputted into the system is basic and includes details such as the date a matter commences and follow-up hearings; the presiding judge and lawyers involved; and for some matters, the date it concluded. The justice sector is currently embarking on a sector-wide reform programme which aims at computerizing records at the Registry. Currently, the Registry has additional data entry clerks on staff to boost record-keeping, but there is a pressing need for added staff should efforts get under way to upgrade the system in 2010.

The November 5 attack was the first known arson attack on the Supreme Court, and according to the police it was carried out by members of the same group that set fire to the Health Ministry in July. The attack on the century-old Supreme Court facility was said to have unfolded some time before 3 am and it was reported that three armed men stormed the building and held the two female security guards at gunpoint after being confronted. Incendiary devices, some of which were apparently prepared on the spot, were recovered at the court and a trail of channa was visible when law enforcement officials showed up shortly after. In the aftermath, charred walls and stacks of burnt records stood as grim evidence of the attack.