Criticism of Värmland District Court for deficiencies in the handling of a custody case

Summary of the decision: In a custody case brought before Värmland District Court, the district court postponed six planned main hearings before a main hearing was held and the case finally adjudicated. The majority of these hearings were postponed as a direct result of oversights by the district court. The postponed main hearings resulted is a protracted processing time of just over two years and three months.

Aside from the fact that such a drawn-out process is unacceptable, in the opinion of the Chief Parliamentary Ombudsman the confirmed deficiencies in the proceedings suggest that various categories of staff at the district court have failed to exercise the care and diligence required when working in a court of law. Furthermore, the Chief Parliamentary Ombudsman emphasises that it is not only important to the parties that a case is handled professionally, but that it is also critical to public confidence in the judicial system. The Chief Parliamentary Ombudsman is generally highly critical of how the district court has handled the case.