Jensen La Vende
Senior Reporter-Investigative
jensen.lavende@guardian.co.tt
Some 20,000 plus users of the Judiciary’s CourtPay system are now relieved they no longer have to wait for more than a month to access child support payments.
Traditionally, maintenance payments were made manually at various magistrates’ courts where the recipients could collect the money the same day to take care of their children’s needs.
But then the Judiciary introduced the CourtPay system that works through the National Lotteries Control Board (NLCB) outlets.
When the system was first introduced it was optional and verification of funds was done electronically.
A senior Judiciary source told Sunday Guardian, however, that as part of a cost-saving exercise, the Judiciary opted to carry out the verification or accounting process for the money from the transactions manually.
The manual verification worked effectively before the pandemic when CourtPay was optional as there were fewer users.
But, when all clients were mandated to convert to the online portal, it became problematic as the increased number of manual verifications became too much for the staff to complete promptly. The Judiciary has to process hundreds of millions of dollars annually through the CourtPay system.
This led to more than month-long delays for people waiting to collect money to support their children, the source added. Some affected mothers said they went from collecting maintenance payments in a day to waiting at least a month.
“You can see that the person paid the money. It is there, you can see it on the court system app but when you check the account, nothing!” a mother of four, who did not want to be named, said.
The 34-year-old St Joseph woman recalled how the switch from electronic to manual payment affected her, forcing her to wait for weeks instead of days.
“First it took two weeks to get the money, and they switched to the (chip and PIN) card and the period started getting longer and longer. Now it is just gruelling and ridiculous. This system could never be for the poor person! If I was waiting on that money, I go dead! The system just getting worse!”
Paramin security guard Stephanie Thomas said her experience before the delays were fixed left her desperately wanting a better system. She recalled collecting money from her children’s father whenever he paid child support, within hours of him depositing it at the Port-of-Spain Magistrates’ Court.
Then she was invited to switch to CourtPay and her nightmares began.
“At first it took 24 hours to process, then it went to four days and then two weeks. The last payment made was on July 31 and only on September 4 I got the money. How would I have survived if I didn’t have a job?”
In April the Judiciary apologised to its customers who were receiving late payments for maintenance saying it was experiencing problems, but promised a fix with the introduction of the Lotto booths as payment options.
On its website in July, the Judiciary listed the ways to pay child support using the CourtPay system, beginning on the 9th of that month. Payors were told to go to NLCB Lotto booths to make cash-only payments. For card payments, the payor can visit a selected list of NP QuikShoppes that can be found on the Judiciary’s website and online purchases can be made through the link: https://giftcardmarketplace.biz/
On September 4, the Judiciary said it was finally able to transition to NLCB Lotto booths for cash payments, promising a four-day payout. It also explained that the problems encountered were due to a delay in the verification process.
“When payments are made to other vendors the time delay in receiving the funds in hand affects payouts as the Judiciary is not permitted to pay out upfront. Therefore, only when a receipt of funds for that voucher is made can the payment be made. Unfortunately, some vendors take longer to reconcile and send their funds through the system. This is a challenge. While much of that challenge has been reduced by the move to NLCB as provided by law, some of it continues and hopefully will end soon.”
The Judiciary’s move back to an electronic verification operating system unclogged the backlog, and frustrated custodial parents who had been waiting months to receive payments were relieved. Those whose payments come through NLCB have been collecting with ease. However, there are still some delays for those whose monies are being paid through other mediums.
Hundreds of millions in maintenance payments yearly
The need for proper reconciliation of funds, a Judiciary source said, was because of the quantum of money collected by the judiciary annually, which is over $100 million.
In piloting the Payments into Court Bill in September 2018, the precursor for the CourtPay system, then attorney general Faris Al-Rawi said child maintenance amounted to over $100 million annually. For fiscal year 2016 to 2017, the Judiciary collected $119,867,451.93 for maintenance.
Sunday Guardian was told that the yearly figures leading up to 2020 before CourtPay became mandatory were roughly $100 million. From 2020 onwards that figure has increased as more clients are being added. The Judiciary source did not want to divulge the exact figures saying only that child maintenance is hundreds of millions of dollars, and they need to account for every dollar.
WiPay, which is headed by chief executive officer Aldwyn Wayne, was paid $75,000 to create the software, Al-Rawi said but made no mention of the maintenance cost of the system.
CourtPay History
CourtPay was launched by the Judiciary, WiPay and TTconnect in March 2018. In its 2018/2019 annual report, the Judiciary said maintenance payments were to be handled across the magistracy by the CourtPay system.
It said, “CourtPay as a service has generated significant benefits to our customers in terms of convenience, accessibility, timeliness, safety and overall service delivery. In addition to its success in making maintenance payments into and out of court easier, the service is being expanded to allow attorneys-at-Law, law firms and state agencies access to pay the following online: practising fees, court filing fees to facilitate e-filing, and fines. The Judiciary has been approached by several state agencies to share its experience in this area and has commenced the sharing. In 2018, the Judiciary by MOU gave iGovTT a licence to the application to power GovPay for the benefit of the revenue collection agencies of the State.”
The following year the Judiciary said in its report that a self-service kiosk was introduced at court locations for those without internet access or a bank account. After courts were temporarily closed due to COVID-19 health regulations, the Judiciary, through its partnership with WiPay, introduced the self-service CourtPay voucher terminals at the courts.
The 2019/2020 report added that there were 92 orders for payments for maintenance in Tobago. It added that there were more than 3,500 people who had access to the system.
