VietNamNet Bridge – The trying of civil cases saw positive progress this year and made a significant contribution to the development of the nation, said permanent Deputy Minister of Justice Hoang The Lien.

He made the statement at a national judiciary meeting held in the central city of Da Nang yesterday, Dec 22.

In 2010, nearly 351,400 cases were brought to trial out of a possible 406,900, representing a 5.3 per cent increase over last year and 6.4 per cent above the target set fot the year.

The sector seized a total of over VND8.3 trillion (US$425.6 million) in fines and settlements or 80 per cent of the collectable amount, an increase of 9.6 per cent over last year and 20 per cent over this year's plan.

Around 28,000 cases where fines were applied at less than VND500,000 ($26) each were reviewed and declared exempt.

Lien said although the number of civil cases had increased over the last few years, fewer cases were left unresolved, which meant improved implementation efficiency.

Clearer legal guidelines, more quality judicial staff and enhanced determination of sectoral authorities facilitated the improvement, he said.

"The better results have significantly contributed to maintaining social order and safety as well as strengthening national defence and security," he said. "They have created an advantageous environment for the development of the country."

Lien said shortcomings remained, however, with bureaucracy and a lack of resolve still troubling the sector. He stressed that special importance should be attached to judicial supervision.

Yesterday's meeting also heard objective assessments about positive and negative aspects of many other tasks of the national judiciary, including State management on law making and execution, administrative reform, inspection, denunciation settlements and corruption fight.

Nguyen Ba Son, director of the Da Nang Department of Justice, suggested the sector concentrate on enhancing the quality of legal documents, legal training and judiciary support services.

"These areas have gradually developed so far but are still below expectations," he said.

Lien said an important thing was that international co-operation in the judicial area was strengthened and expanded in both scale and content this year. He quoted Viet Nam's recent signature of the Hague Convention on Protection of Children and Co-operation in Respect of Intercountry Adoption.

This year, the Ministry of Justice also stepped up its push for the country to sign bilateral agreements on judicial co-operation with Algeria, Taiwan, Czech Republic, South Korea, Cambodia and Kazakhstan in trade and civil areas, said Lien.

VietNamNet/Viet Nam News