| Fadley Faisal |

THE number of bankruptcy cases saw a rise between 2017 to 2018 while criminal and civil appeals in the Brunei Supreme Court had also increased.

According to statistics compiled by the State Judiciary Department in conjunction with the opening of Legal Year 2019 on Thursday, civil cases registered in the High Court saw an increase from 77 in 2017 to 79 cases last year while criminal cases increased from nine to 13.

Meanwhile, the Intermediate Court’s criminal cases maintained at 88 and saw a decrease in civil cases from 68 to 41.

The Magistrate’s Court in Brunei-Muara District saw a major increase in criminal cases from 1,479 in 2017 to 2,001 last year.

Tutong District recorded a decrease with 81 criminal cases last year compared to 82 the previous year.

The report also stated that the number of juvenile arrests doubled from five in 2017 to 10 last year.

The total revenue of the judiciary of Brunei Darussalam in 2018 stood at BND5,423,690.35, an increase from BND4,883,777.67 in 2017.

Majority of the revenue last year was collected from ‘Miscellaneous’ receipts (BND3,082,488.42).

The State Judiciary Department was established in May 2002 and is solely responsible for the administration and management of support services, provision and financial affairs of the civil and Syariah courts.