JUSTICE MINISTRY TAKES SERVICES TO THE PUBLIC

16/05/2013

Members of the public have been encouraged to visit the Government Service Centre (GSC) in downtown Suva for more information regarding services provided by the Ministry of Justice.

The Ministry, which includes the Judicial Department, Births, Deaths, Marriages (BDM), Corrections Services, Legal Aid and FICAC, is currently on display at the GSC this week.

An official from the Judicial Department, Francis Prasad, said they have been receiving positive responses from members of the public who visit their booths for more information and the various assistances that are available.

“We receive an average of 50-60 people a day. They mostly come for the brochures and pamphlets and some of them ask about the Family Court procedures, the High Court and Magistrates Court procedures including the Small Claims Tribunal,” Mr Prasad said.

He added that there is a need for people to be referred to respective registries.

“So far we have not received any complaints but if people do come with complaints, we note it down and we check with the respective registries. We also advise them to go to the senior court officers or officers-in-charge of the respective registries.”

The public have also been encouraged to access services from the Commissioner of Oath at the GSC.

“We are also here to provide the service that is being provided by the Commissioner of Oaths. If people need a witness for a document, we are doing that as well. “We don’t ask people to come with documents when coming to raise their concerns or queries with us because this is like an awareness display. If they come with the documents, we would not be able to do much from here. We refer members of the public to the right people,” Mr Prasad added.

The DPP’s office who are also displaying services have also received a substantial amount of queries from people visiting their booth.

The display will finish at midday this Saturday. The referral centre is located at what used to be the old Fiji Visitors Bureau office in Suva.

-ENDS-