Forfar Sheriff Court is struggling to deal with cases within 26 weeks, according to the Scottish Conservatives.
The claims were dismissed by the Scottish Court Service. Since the closure of Arbroath Sheriff Court and the diversion of cases to Forfar, the court has dealt with over 85% of cases within 26 weeks, from caution or charge to verdict.
Figures indicate that 87.1% of cases went to verdict within 26 weeks, down from 89.3% since the courts’ merger in May and below the target of 100%.
Alex Johnstone, North-East Conservative MSP, said the Scottish Government had implemented the plans despite warnings of a backlog at remaining courts.
He said: “The SNP said remaining courts would not be adversely affected by the closures, clearly that is not the case.
“The real concern is for the relatives and victims of crimes who want justice to be handed out quickly and efficiently, which helps them move on from the often traumatic experiences they may have had.”
A spokesman for the Scottish Court Service said measures are in place to increase the number of cases dealt with within the time frame that just 5% of business had been redistributed with no reduction in judicial or court staff.
He said: “While overall levels of crimes have fallen in recent years, the reporting and detection of some crimes has increased over the past year.
“These increases reflect more proactive policing and prosecution, better evidence gathering and greater confidence among victims in reporting certain crimes, including historic crimes.
“To tackle these increases, targeted measures have been agreed across justice organisations, with additional judicial court and Crown Office staff being deployed.
“These measures will increase the number of cases settled within 26 weeks and demonstrate that court capacity is available to deal with the increased levels of business.”
Arbroath Sheriff Court was closed in May of this year, with some voicing concerns that the closure of the court would impede the administration of justice.
Arbroath solicitor Nick Whelan led the fight against closure, and voiced his concerns about the future.
He said: “Having visited Forfar Sheriff Court, I am also not convinced that all the improvements we were promised have been carried out.”