LAW No. 12011/027 OF 1 4 DEC. 2011
TO AMEND AND SUPPLEMENT CERTAIN PROVISIONS OF LAW No.2006/15 OF 29 DECEMBER 2006 ON JUDICIAL ORGANIZATION
Section 1: The provisions of Sections 3, 4, 14, 15, 17, 18, 20 and 22 of Law No. 2006/15 of 29 December 2006 on judicial organization are hereby amended and supplemented as follows:
Section 3.- (new) Judicial organization shall comprise:
- The Supreme Court;
- Courts of Appeal;
- The Special Criminal Court;
- Lower courts for administrative litigation;
- Lower audit courts;
- Military Tribunals;
- High Courts;
- Courts of First Instance;
- Customary Law Courts
Section 4 (new).- (1) The law shall lay down:
- the organization of the Supreme Court and constituent Benches;
- the organization of Appeal Courts and constituent Benches;
- the organization of the Special Criminal Court;
-the organization of lower courts for administrative litigation; - the organization of lower audit courts; - the organization of military courts; - the organization of courts sitting in labour matters; - the organization of customary law courts; - High Courts and constituent Benches; - Courts of First Instance and constituent Benches;
Ihe administrat ve organizatian of courts shall be laid down by a separate instrument.
# Section 14.- (4) (new)
(a) The Court of First Instance shall be organized into:
Benches; - General Assembly.
) The Court of First Instance shall compris:
- one or more Benches for civil matters;
- one or more Benches for commercial matters;
- one or more Benches for labour matters;
-one or more Benches for misdemeanours or simple offences; - one or more Benches for minors.
(c) Notwithstanding the provisions of subsection (b) above, the President of the Court of Appeal may, by order and considering service needs, merge two or more Benches.
(d) The President of the Court of Appeal of the area shall, by order after consultation with the President of the court, appoint from amongst other magistrates Presidents of Benches for each judicial year.
The appointment order may be amended before the end of the judicial year for reasons of unavailability of the President of a Bench or where the President of the court, by reasoned opinion, notes shortcomings in the performance of the President of a Bench.
The appointment of a new President of a Bench within the course of a judicial year shall cover the rest of the period.
(e) the magistrates appointed to a court shall be assigned to Benches by order of the President of that court issued at the beginning of the judicial year for that entire year.
Where the magistrates of a Bench sit in panel, the additional members of the panel shall be appointed by the President of the court.