By Latrishka Thomas
A platform designed to serve the litigation demands of legal practitioners and stakeholders within the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) and increase court efficiency, will be operationalised as of today, Monday.
This is the E-Litigation system, which is being implemented by the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court (ECSC) through the Office of the Chief Justice within all courts in all the OECS Member States and Territories, for the electronic management of cases filed within the jurisdiction of the ECSC.
In that light, the Courts of Justice Fees Bill 2019 was passed in the Upper House of Parliament on Friday 17th October, thereby allowing for easier transition into the new electronic portal.
Leader of Government Business in the Senate, Senator Mary-Claire Hurst, explained that the new legislation is meant to support the move to E-litigation.
“Under the current CAP 115, the law authorises the payment for services rendered by the court to be made in stamps. This method of payment does not support the current move to E-Litigation; hence payment may now be made via credit card, debit card, cash, cheque or any other method that the Chief Justice may fix in accordance with the legislation,” she said.
“Well, clearly if you have to do [away with] the stamps so far as your documents are concerned, they are making it easy for everybody.”
Hurst added that Antigua and Barbuda needed to adopt the prevailing trend among the OECS member states.
Read more in today’s newspaper