Decrying the circumstances that led to delayed justice in the Family Islands, Attorney General Ryan Pinder on Friday recommitted to putting in the framework for remote hearings across the country.

"Recently in Eleuthera, but I'm sure it's happened on many other islands, the circuit magistrate canceled their trip without notice, leaving scores of persons and matters unattended to," Pinder said.

"Now I can understand the occasional situation in which this might happen given the challenges, at times, of logistics to our islands that we experience when traveling to these islands. I can understand it on occasion.

"However, this has been a repeated occurrence for Eleuthera, creating immense frustration and delay in the administration of justice. We cannot sit by and allow this injustice to continue. I have raised this issue with the chief justice.

"To leverage the administration of justice in our Family Islands, the chief justice and myself have committed to build out the remote court system throughout this country."

Last year June, former Chief Justice Brian Moree acknowledged that the circuit system was costly.

At the time, he said remote courts were slated for six Family Islands and the courts were looking to conduct court on a monthly basis.

Pinder acknowledged on Friday that the promise of remote courts for the Family Islands has been made before.

"We have recently spoken and reinforced our commitment to fulfill this mandate, the current chief justice and me," Pinder said.

"We will secure the necessary equipment and facilities to allow for remote hearings and eliminate the need for magistrates to travel the islands to have circuit courts.

"I'm sure this has happened in Long Island. The frustration is real. We constitutionally should give access to justice without discrimination across our country, whether an archipelago or a fixed place; it is our commitment to do so.

"By putting in the framework for remote hearings it will allow us to go a long way in addressing the delay and the backlog in court matters throughout our country and ensuring the recent frustrations that the constituents and Bahamians in Eleuthera are not repeated."

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