Chief Justice of the Supreme People’s Court of Vietnam Nguyen Hoa Binh (Source: vietnamnet.vn)

On November 5, the 8th meeting of the Council of ASEAN Chief Justices (CACJ) host by the Supreme People’s Court of Vietnam drew the participation of Chief Justices and Judges from ASEAN countries. 
The main bridge point of the meeting was the headquarters of the Supreme People’s Court of Vietnam and was broadcast online to bridge points in other countries.
At the online meeting, hosted by the Vietnamese court, delegates reached high consensus on many issues, notably the approval of the action plan for six CACJ working groups.
At the end of the event, they signed the Hanoi Statement, which highlights the success of the first-ever online meeting of the CACJ thanks to Vietnam’s thorough preparations. 
The council took note of the severe impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on the socio-economic development of most ASEAN member countries, which has put pressures on courts to handle a large number of cases while preventing the spread of the disease, reported VNA.
The document also acknowledged the initiatives raised by Vietnam and courts of other ASEAN member countries regarding solutions to deal with the pandemic’s impacts, with the aim of promptly addressing cases, protecting legal rights and interests of people, and strictly handling and preventing violations of regulations on pandemic prevention and control, while ensuring safety and minimising the risks of epidemic spread during the settlement. 
In his closing remarks, Binh said the success of the meeting demonstrated the development of a harmonious, self-resilient, innovative, cohesive, responsible and responsive ASEAN. 
The official expressed his hope that the council will complete all of its set plans and grow further, and pledged to closely coordinate with other chief justices and colleagues of supreme people’s courts in ASEAN, and make efforts to fulfill his tasks, contributing to the development and success of the council./.

Compiled by BTA