British high commissioner meets with chief justice

British High Commissioner to Bangladesh Sarah Cooke paid a courtesy visit on Chief Justice Dr Syed Refaat Ahmed.

The meeting took place at the office of the chief justice on Tuesday. During the meeting, they exchanged pleasantries and discussed various aspects of the judiciary.

The British high commissioner congratulated the chief justice on the completion of his first year in office. She highly praised his efforts and plans over the past year to ensure institutional independence of the judiciary in Bangladesh.

The British high commissioner described the chief justice’s announcement of a roadmap for judicial reform, the issuance of 12 directives to bring transparency to judicial services, the introduction of capacity tests for providing legal aid to defendants in cases, the enactment of legislation for appointing judges in the higher courts through the Supreme Judicial Appointment Council, the launch of a Supreme Court helpline for litigants, and development initiatives to strengthen the capacity of lower courts as effective and timely measures.

She said that in the coming days, the strong leadership of Bangladesh’s current chief justice would play an important role in establishing good governance and ensuring justice in the country. She also assured that the United Kingdom would extend full cooperation to Bangladesh in building a strong judiciary.