Rwandans who have no financial means are said to be so surprised after hearing that the Government decided to increase fees to lodge a complaint in the courts. They said it is the way to deny justice to poor people who can’t afford the newly established cost.
The Rwandan Ministry of Justice has announced that the process costs will increase by 12.5 times and that fees will be paid by the complainant to Government and if he won the case the accused will pay the total cost back to the complainant.
The initial cost of lodging a complaint in the Primary Court was Rfrw 2000 and according to the new changes it will be Rfrw 25,000. Lodging a complaint in the high court will shift from Rfw 4000 to Rwf 50,000. Those who used to pay about Rfrw 6000 for a complaint which is lodged in the Commercial High Court will now have to pay about Rfrw 75,000 whereas a complaint that is addressed to the Supreme Court will pay Rfrw 100,000 having shifted from Rfw 80,000.
Explaining the reason for these changes, the Minister of Justice Johnson Busingye said “The law regarding the cost passed through changes for the past 10 years ago” and currently Rwanda has gone through new legal system where people can access justice without paying money.
He added that the ability of the courts has changed showing that those who bring their cases to court they know the reason because they have first thought about it. For this they will keep paying money for lodged complaint. However the Minister reveals that accepting the case will depend on the value of the cause.
For those who have not financial means, Minister Busingye said Government has already put in place the mechanism to help those who cannot afford judicial cost.
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