*Easing Access To Justice
The Chairman, Investments and Securities Tribunal, IST, Amos Isaac Azi, has disclosed that plans are underway to introduce a new app for electronic filing (e-filing) of cases for litigants in capital market in order to easy ways of seeking redress before the tribunal.
Speaking while unveiling the Kano Zonal Office of the IST, he said it is already working with the National Judicial Council, NJC, in that direction and hoping to roll the app out before the end of this year.
Azi said the Tribunal is taking advantage of the technological advancement as the world is going digital.
Meanwhile, he explained that the Tribunal was established to entertain only capital market matters or disputes with the aim to bringing the courts closer to the investors as well as ensure speedy dispensation of justice.
According to him, “When you have a capital market matters or disputes, you don’t have to waste your time going to the Federal High Court or State High Court or go to Abuja; you now have a tribunal situated in Kano that you file your case and it will be attended to.
“The IST is one of the confidence building structure when you talk about the investors protection in such a way that when an investor or operator has an issue, his matter will be expeditiously determined because the capital market actually is business, and so, time, value and money is the key.
“When people have problems and it cannot be judiciously resolved within good time, it discourages investors from investing in the market.
“So the Tribunal stands as one of the major investment incentive that government has for investors who are investing in this sphere of business, capital market. This tribunal does not do anything apart from looking at the capital market issues. It is available to the regulators and investors.
“The world is going digital and the Tribunal is also upgrading it’s facility in such a way that we are already working on an app that you can file your matter online and so you don’t need to travel to Benin, Kano, Abuja to file a matter. A lawyer or investor can sit in the comfort of their home or office, to file the matter and it will be treated.
“The Tribunal has also avail the virtual sitting process to litigants. If you are unable to come for the physical hearing, you can inform the Tribunal that you want to participate virtually and the matter is conducted virtually”.
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