HANOI, July 8 (Xinhua) -- The Standing Committee of Vietnam's National Assembly, the country's top legislature, on Wednesday approved in principle a draft ordinance that streamlines court procedures for ordering compulsory rehabilitation of drug-dependent minors aged between 12 and 18, the Government Portal reported.
The draft ordinance introduces electronic submission, delivery and receipt of court documents and grants judges greater flexibility in conducting hearings, according to the report.
It also shortens the period for courts to review and decide on compulsory drug rehabilitation from 15 days to 10 days, or from 30 days to 20 days in complicated cases, while allowing first-instance hearings to proceed even if prosecutors are absent, the report added.
The draft retains the current rule requiring prosecutors to attend appellate hearings, with proceedings postponed in their absence, according to the Vietnam News Agency. ■