Minister of Justice Akın Gürlek announced that the scope of the e-hearing practice will be expanded and that the system will also be implemented in regional courts of appeal.
Quoting a post shared on the Ministry of Justice’s social media account, Minister of Justice Gürlek stated that, in line with the President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s “Century of Türkiye” vision and digital transformation goals, they have expanded the scope of the e-hearing system in judicial services.
Minister of Justice Gürlek stated that the system will also be applied in regional courts of appeal, and added as follows: “We are implementing our e-hearing practice, which provides speed, cost savings, and ease of access in judicial proceedings, not only in our courts of first instance but also in our regional courts of appeal. It allows all parties involved - plaintiffs, defendants, experts, witnesses, and specialists - to be heard through e-hearing, and paves the way for our judges to decide on this method ex officio.”
Emphasizing his determination to make judicial services citizen-oriented, Minister Gürlek stated the following:
“In line with the decisions of the High Council of Fight against Addiction, we are also including the procedures carried out in designated hospitals within the scope of the e-hearing system. In this way, we further facilitate our citizens’ access to justice, accelerate judicial proceedings, and ensure a more effective and efficient process. With the aim of strengthening the rule of law through technological means, we remain determined to make judicial services faster, more accessible, and more citizen-oriented.”
WITH THE E-HEARING SYSTEM, IT IS AIMED TO INCREASE SPEED, ACCESSIBILITY, AND EFFICIENCY IN JUDICIAL PROCEEDINGS
With the new regulation, the e-hearing practice will no longer be limited to courts of first instance; the system will also be implemented in regional courts of appeal, and not only lawyers but also defendants, experts, witnesses, and specialists will be able to be heard through e-hearing. In this way, it is aimed to increase speed, accessibility, and efficiency in judicial proceedings.
With the new regulation, the procedural actions such as letters rogatory, oaths, interrogations, and the hearing of parties will also be enabled through the e-hearing system.
According to the Ministry’s work, the e-hearing practice will no longer be limited to courts of first instance. The system will also be implemented in regional courts of appeal. In addition, with upcoming software developments, not only lawyers but also plaintiffs, defendants, experts, witnesses, and specialists involved in trials will be able to be heard through e-hearing.
It is also planned that the judges will be able to decide ex officio to use the e-hearing method when deemed necessary, thereby aiming to increase speed, accessibility, and efficiency in judicial proceedings.