Subject index of ECOWAS Court to be available next year – President
The subject matter index of the Community Court of Justice for 16 years up till 2020 will be available next year as a reference material for the use of researchers, legal officers and other stakeholders, the President of the Court, Justice Edward Amoako Asante has said.
In closing comments at the end of the second phase of the workshop for the validation of the subject matter index of the Court on Friday, 28th May 2021, the President said a technical committee of the Court will be constituted to review the outcome of the two workshops in order to ensure accuracy and fidelity with the specificities of the cases.
He assured that the document that emanated from the exercise will be translated into the three Community languages prior to uploading on the web site of the Court from where it will be accessed by those interested in the jurisprudence of the Court, particularly its pronouncements on various issues.
Earlier, the Vice President of the Court, Justice Gberi-be Ouattara who moderated the presentation of the final report, assured that the document was an objective reflection of the deliberations of the two phases of the workshop.
Deliberations during the workshop covered a wide range of topics including Jurisdiction, Expedited procedure, Inadmissibility, Locus standi, Rights to participate freely in elections, Intervention, Arbitrary arrest and detention, Compensation, Proof of Claim, Abuse of Rights and Violation of the Rights of Access to Justice.
At the end of the workshop, several recommendations were made including a reexamination of the index to reflect appropriate headings, the consolidation of paragraphs with similar legal principles and the synchronization of the disparities in the French and English versions while a committee on translation should be set up for an expedited process.
During the first phase of the workshop which held between 2nd and 8th May 2021, the participants considered the subject matter index for the period 2004 to 2013 reflecting the decisions of the Court for the period.