Defence Order No. 21 aims to curb virus spread on court premises — Justice minister

AMMAN — Minister of Justice Bassam Talhouni on Tuesday said that Defence Order No. 21 was issued in response to the Judicial Council’s demands to implement additional preventive measures to curb the spread of the coronavirus among personnel and visitors and ensure the flow of operations at the judicial facilities, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

In a statement carried by Petra on Tuesday, Talhouni said that 82 judges, 600 employees and a number of lawyers had tested positive for the coronavirus, adding that the number of trials and the way they were held in closed settings lead to the increase of infections.

For this reason, the amount of trials attended by relevant individuals witnessed a reduction, the minister noted.

The defence order authorised the minister of justice to dictate means of communication with lawyers who have not included their contact information, including e-mails and/or mobile numbers.

Attorneys are required to share official documentation with specialised judges through logging in their accounts using the ministry’s online platform, without having to attend the court.

Measures undertaken in accordance with the defence order are temporary and would come to an end once the coronavirus cases in the Kingdom drop and the virus is contained, the minister added.

Talhouni stressed that Defence Order No.21 falls under the jurisdiction of the executive authority in Jordan and is not viewed as “meddling in the judicial procedures” in accordance with Article 24 of the Jordanian Constitution, Petra reported.