An Impressive Crowd Of More Than 200 Fellow-Members
Ufohja had hitherto only made a rare appearance in this country since only one edition had been held there 6 years ago.
The new National Chamber and its sparkling and dynamic president, Kokoe Gaba dos Reis, had thus decided to take up the challenge by proposing the candidature of Lome as a site for the holding of the conference.
It is in front of an impressive crowd of more than 200 fellow-members that was held under the auspices of Mr. Kokou Tozoun, Minister for justice, the solemn opening meeting in which took part, in addition to Célestine Akouvi Aïdam, Minister for the humans right and for the consolidation of democracy, the highest legal and professional authorities of the country as well as the ambassadors of the United States and France (represented). All the States of Ohada, members of the UIHJ, except for Guinea, were present as well as the National School of Procedure of Paris (ENP), represented by its president, Jean-Michel Rouzaud.
After the welcome words of Mrs Gaba dos Reis, president of the National Chamber of the judicial officers of Togo, greeting the presence of the high authorities, of the delegation of the UIHJ, the ENP of Paris and all the fellow-members coming from each of the ten neighbouring countries, it belonged to the president of the UIHJ, Jacques Isnard, to highlight the actions of the UIHJ on the profession in the zone.
The Considerable Progress Achieved By The African Judicial Officers
The president was to protest against the decision of the Council of Ministers of justice of Ohada to reject the uniform act project of a statute of the judicial officers of the Ohada zone: “Our large international organisation is upset to note that all the enormous work which was accomplished to lead to this remarkable project of a single statute, adopted unanimously by all the national chamber of judicial officers of the Ohada zone after three years of work, was destroyed by the Ministers for justice”.
In another register, the president of the UIHJ was pleased with the considerable progress accomplished by the African judicial officers “who did not suffer from the comparisons with their European fellow-members”.
However, Mr Isnard was to fustigate the National Chambers for being too unadventurous in their action in favour of internal training.
Lastly, the leader of the judicial officers was to stress the need for developing the judicial officer in his functions while taking care to give him a better general consideration and by making sure that he is treated with the respect due to his statute as a member of the legal profession.
For The Installation Of A Training School In Togo For Judicial Officers
The Minister for justice, Kokou Tozoun, in the name of the president of the Republic, after having been pleased with the topics of the conference, was to stress the project of a programme of modernisation of justice in Togo and exhorted the profession to join in the installation of a training school, by stressing the importance of this action taking into consideration the requirement which weighs on the functions of the judicial officers: “The judicial officer plays a dominating part in the legal procedures and Ohada, the purpose of which is to reinforce legal and judicial security within the space of the signatory countries, made of the judicial officer an important link in the concretization of the aims in view by the Ohada legislator”.
It should be noted that these remarks join in all the points of the explanatory memorandum of the uniform act project presented by the UIHJ on a uniform statute of judicial officers!
In addition, the Minister of Justice announced the decision of the French-speaking Ministers for justice who met in Paris on 13th and 14th February to promote a meeting and dialogue session aiming at engaging a process for revising the uniform acts as well as a second project intended to reform the treaty of Ohada.
A Seminar Likely To Enrich The Basis For Future Reforms Of The Uniform Acts Of Ohada
Concerning the implementation of the programme of modernisation of justice, it quickly appeared that the ENP of Paris could bring its expertise in this action. Moreover president Rouzaud was to evoke with the persons in charge for the project the prospects for a possible co-operation, in particular for the training of the Togolese judicial officers.
In addition, the program of work of the conference, elaborated in the line of the new directives of the board of Ufohja, while preserving the practical aspect, was to highlight its new - very eclectic- formula consisting in associating the doctrines to the speeches of the experts. In this respect, two professors of law of the faculty of Lome showed all their talent for the best profit of the judicial officers. In addition, the Hague Convention of 15 November 1965 on the cross-border service of documents was the subject of a brilliant intervention by Rose-Marie Bruno, just like the ethical section presented by the ENP president, Mr Rouzaud.
The seminar was completed by a closing speech by the Minister for justice who congratulated the assembly for the quality of the work “likely to enrich the basis for future reforms of the uniform acts”...
It is necessary to retain from this event the faultless assiduity of the fellow-members and the perfectly orchestrated organisation of Kokoe Gaba dos Reis, and also our Togolese colleagues, remarkable in the quality of their welcome, by all means very different from the rigidity and the incomprehension expressed by the direction of the hotel establishment who showed to be totally unconcerned by their international customers when subjected to the vicissitudes of circumstances.
