Trial by video

The Palma courts unveiled a new video conference system yesterday which will allow witnesses to give evidence in court without having to be present in the room. Spain is the first country in Europe to introduce this ground-breaking system and Palma had the privilege of being the first court in the land to install the equipment. A Palma court spokesperson said that the video system would soon be used and it would save money and allow judges greater flexibility. “At the moment we have to pay for the travel costs of witnesses to come to the island from the mainland or abroad. Using this video conference system will mean that all travelling expenses will disappear. Initially some judges and lawyers said that the system would hinder the justice process rather than making it quicker, but after a trial period, these initial concerns have been dismissed. As Majorca has such a large floating population the problem of tracking down witnesses and getting them to travel to the island is even greater. Other European countries are closely watching Spain's experience with this new system.