Courts tackle mounting number of social issues

Most of the social problems occurring in Laos involve theft, drug abuse, loans and divorce, the President of the People’s Supreme Court, Mr Khampha Sengdara, told the National Assembly on Wednesday.

These issues were highlighted in Mr Khampha’s report on the work of the courts in 2019 and their plan for 2020.
Civil courts processed 404 cases involving misdemeanours while the Vientiane and provincial courts heard 2,426 cases relating to drug trafficking. Most of the other cases concerned loan agreements and divorce.
There were 110 cases concerning minors’ involvement with drugs, while 20 cases were related to issues surrounding payment for work undertaken.
Over the past year, the people’s courts aimed to serve the public with integrity and efficiency. Their goal was to provide judicial services that better served people’s needs, Mr Khampha said.
Since the sixth ordinary session of the National Assembly, People’s Courts across the country have processed 5,291 criminal cases and were able to resolve 4,576 cases or about 86 percent. Another 716 cases are still under consideration.
Appeals courts heard 335 cases of which 249 cases were resolved, equal to 74 percent, while 86 are still being investigated.
Following settlements made at appeals courts, the parties concerned requested the cancellation of 79 cases, amounting to 32 percent.
A total of 4,168 civil cases and 2,462 other cases were resolved, equalling 59 percent of cases submitted. Another 1,706 cases are being considered. There are currently 1,934 officials working in the nation’s courts, including 471 judges.

By Times Reporters
(Latest Update November 21, 2019)