Judiciary Tasked on Use of Electronic Evidence

An Advocate of the High Court of Kenya and Team Leader of ALP East Africa in Kenya, Mr. Hanningtone Amol, has urged the African courts to embrace the use of electronic forms of evidence in resolution of cases.

Amol, who spoke at a two-day workshop on “Oral Advocacy and Electronic Evidence”, which held in Abuja, noted that the system is not only fast and smooth, but also very effective in the resolution of election petitions.

The workshop, which was organised by the Attorneys General Alliance-Africa (AGA-Africa), in collaboration with the Kaduna State Ministry of Justice, was aimed at enhancing the skills of prosecutors.

The Kenyan lawyer, who narrated how the Supreme Court of Kenya resolved the presidential election litigation within 14 days, observed that the feat, which was enabled through the use of electronic evidence is an attestation to the fact that, “we can have political processes and still have the rule of law prevail. We don’t have to have recourse to armed conflict or ethnic conflict as a way of resolving conflict or dispute.”

He added that some of the lessons learnt from the case is that, “we can actually use electronic means to manage elections, and that the courts are changing and becoming flexible and appreciating that electronic evidence is part and parcel of the solution of major disputes like constitutional disputes surrounding elections.”

On her part, the Kaduna State Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice (AG), Aisha Dikko, remarked that electronic evidence is becoming more relevant in prosecuting cases today, because a lot of evidence presented is electronical in nature.

“So, we thought it is good to bring the lawyers here and refresh their minds on how to present electronic evidence in their cases. We want to enhance their capability so that they do better in court,” she said.

Contributing, a Partner of PUNUKA Attorneys and Solicitors, Ebelechukwu Enedeah, stated that electronic evidence is a technical aspect of litigations that requires constant update, especially in this digital age, hence the workshop.