The Inter-American Development Bank today announced the approval of a $6.1 million loan to Uruguay to support a program to improve judicial services.
The resources will support the reorganization and strengthening of administrative procedures, the strengthening of the management of the Supreme Court*, and the improvement of court services.
A component of the program is a pilot project to establish a case management and tracking system in 50 judicial offices and to prepare a proposal to extend the system to all judicial offices.
The introduction of modern systems of administration will enable the judicial branch to make more efficient use of its resources. The amount of time magistrates and judges have to spend on purely administrative matters will be reduced, enabling them to devote more attention to judicial matters.
The program will set the stage for addressing judicial backlog and delays, as well as reinforcing the institutional and technical capacity of the judiciary. It will help prepare the system for long-term institutional change and lay the groundwork for coping with more complex challenges in the future, such as the successful introduction of an eventual reform of the Code of Criminal Procedures.
The total cost of the program is $8,750,000. The IDB loan is for a 25-year term, with a five-year grace period, at the variable annual interest rate, now 7.03 percent. Local counterpart funds total $2,625,000.