Tunisia: New Court of First Instance Inaugurated in Hajeb El Ayoun
On Monday, Tunisian Minister of Justice Leïla Jaffel inaugurated the new courthouse of the Hajeb El Ayoun delegation in the Kairouan governorate. The event was attended by the governor of Kairouan, the prosecutor general of the Court of Appeal of Kairouan, and several high-ranking judicial officials.
In a statement to the Tunis Afrique Presse (TAP) agency, the prosecutor general of the Court of Appeal of Kairouan, Mourad Turki, explained that the inauguration marks the official opening of the new judicial institution in the region. It confirms the institution's full availability and operational readiness, following its initial activities on May 4.
Turki emphasized that the new courthouse is a significant achievement for the residents of the Hajeb El Ayoun delegation and surrounding areas. It concretely reflects the state's policy of anchoring the principle of proximity justice and decentralizing services. This measure will put an end to decades of difficulties faced by locals, who had to travel nearly 150 kilometers round-trip to the city of Kairouan to complete their legal and administrative procedures.
The prosecutor general also noted that the new courthouse is equipped with all office equipment and cutting-edge information technologies to ensure the digitization, speed, and efficiency of services. The cantonal judge will exercise his functions assisted by an administrative team composed of 14 qualified officials, which will help alleviate the workload of the Kairouan-Ville court and reduce judicial processing times.
Turki added that this team will enable citizens to obtain administrative documents and judicial records instantly and locally, primarily certificates of nationality and death certificates, while ensuring access to justice in dignified conditions that respect the rights of litigants and guarantee the quality of services provided.
In terms of procedural matters, the Hajeb El Ayoun court of first instance is competent to examine civil and commercial cases within its territorial jurisdiction, with a financial value not exceeding 7,000 dinars. The institution has already begun to take over ongoing cases and disputes that were not previously judged on the merits by the end of last month, which were previously managed temporarily by the cantonal judge of Kairouan.
Furthermore, the spokesperson explained that the current courthouse is rented on a temporary basis to meet the urgent needs of residents, pending the construction of an official, permanent, and independent courthouse by the Ministry of Justice, which will ensure the stability of the institution and its future expansion.
The minister's visit program also included an on-site inspection of the plot of land reserved for the construction of the new courthouse in the Hajeb El Ayoun delegation, in preparation for the rapid transmission of the file for the launch of future technical and architectural studies.
