Court of Appeal opens as new judge swears in |05 May 2005

Justice Steven Bwana was officially sworn in on Tuesday before Vice-President Joseph Belmont as the third judge for the current Seychelles Court of Appeal, which that same day began processing its first cases since moving into the former National History Museum premises in Victoria.

Earlier this year in March, President James Michel appointed Jacques Hodoul as a justice of the Court of Appeal, the first Seychellois ever chosen for the post. Judge Hodoul joined Court of Appeal President Michael Ramodibedi of Lesotho, whose tenure began last year.

Justice Bwana, who served as a Supreme Court judge in Seychelles from 1994-1999, will be a non-resident judge. That means a justice from the Supreme Court may still have to be called on to preside over the appeals court along with the two resident judges in extraordinary circumstances.

But even though he will be based in Dar es Salaam, Justice Bwana said he didn’t expect his status as a non-resident judge to pose any difficulties. “It’s been well arranged with the (Tanzanian and Seychelles) governments,” he said in an interview with Nation on Wednesday, noting that he would fly out to Seychelles for court sessions when called upon by Judge Ramodibedi. “It shouldn’t be a problem.”

The judge will serve a five-year term with the Court of Appeal, but that term will date back to his original appointment in January 2004. He cited the delayed appointment of Judge Ramodibedi – which was contested by the Bar Association before the case was eventually dismissed by a special appeal hearing – and other issues as reasons for the late start of the newly assembled Court of Appeal.

The judiciary also had to convert what was a museum into a courthouse, a R1.5 million refurbishment according to court officials.

Justice Bwana said he was happy to again “be of service to this nation.”

He also noted how the judicial environment had changed since his previous tenure, now that the Court of Appeal has its own building and two resident judges, one of them being a Seychellois.

“It’s a big change for a country like this, which didn’t have (a separate appeals court) for so many years,” he said.