The admissibility and authentication of digital evidence in Zanzibar under the new Evidence Act

Abstract

The rise and development of digital technology has profound effect on legal concepts and rules in many legal systems. In the field of evidence, the widespread use of modern technologies in our daily lives has created and generated materials that are considered evidence in courts. As a result, the outcome of civil and criminal trials increasingly hinges around the production of digital evidence in legal proceedings. This article casts light on the standards of admission and authentication of electronic evidence in courts under the new Zanzibar Evidence Act 2016, which came into force on 18 January 2017. Index words: Evidence law, civil procedure, Electronic evidence law and legislation, Electronic discovery, Electronic records, Zanzibar