Highlights

23 July 2025

Promoting Governance and Integrity: Accessible and Accountable Criminal Justice

Advancing Integrity in Criminal Justice System

In the final module, Tomas Kvedaras, UNDP Bangkok Regional Hub, took participants through the key issues of corruption, transparency, and accountability. He outlined how effective approaches combine compliance—adhering to rules and integrity—cultivating an ethical culture. Over the years, efforts have shifted from focusing on ethics to criminalizing misconduct in the 1970s and 80s, and later towards strengthening governance and reforming criminal justice systems. Tomas also highlighted how UNDP has supported countries by developing policies, enhancing the integrity of courts and law enforcement, and establishing platforms like the Judicial Integrity Network, which enables judges to share experiences and promote people-centred reforms. He further illustrated these ideas by describing a high-profile corruption case in Lithuania, helping ground the discussion in a real-world example that resonated strongly with the audience.

Malaysia’s e-Court Transformation

Harmi Thamri Bin Mohamad, Office of the Registrar, Malaysia’s Federal Court, described how the country has progressively implemented its e-Court system since 2011 to improve efficiency, reduce backlogs, and broaden access to justice. The system, as of 2025, is now in its third phase of transformation and combinese-filing, digital case management, virtual hearings, queue management, and court recording with voice-to-text technology. All case filings and appeals are now fully electronic, with judges instantly alerted to new submissions. Whilst criminal cases still require the accused to appear in person, witnesses may testify remotely with the consent of all parties. Plans are underway to eventually enable accused persons to give evidence from prison, subject to legal review.

During the Q&A, many participants expressed admiration for Malaysia’s achievements and raised detailed questions about vendor dependency, cybersecurity, funding, and the admissibility of electronic documents.

Fostering Trust through Transparent and Technological Solutions

Following a group discussion on trust-building among participants, Ekapong Rimcharone, Thailand’s Ministry of Digital Economy and Society explained how integrated data, artificial intelligence, and digital tools now strengthen the detection, investigation, and suppression of online crimes. He highlighted how real-time case tracking, evidence verification, and end-to-end transparency—from public reporting to fund recovery—help improve trust and responsiveness. The Central Fraud Registry underpins coordinated action through the Collaborative Anti-Mule Account Mechanism, bringing together the Royal Thai Police, Department of Special Investigation, AMLO, the Bank of Thailand, telecom operators, and banks to detect, freeze, and trace fraudulent accounts across the financial system. Several participants congratulated Thailand on its efforts and posed questions about operational challenges and lessons learned.