Commercial Court Coming to St. Lucia
Through Caribbean Growth Forum (CGF) consultations, the Government of St. Lucia identified the establishment of a Commercial Division of the Court to efficiently and effectively address commercial litigation matters as a high priority reform to promote investment and encourage competitiveness.
Implementation of the division is being spearheaded by the the National Competitiveness and Productivity Council (NCPC), in collaboration with the Ministry of Legal Affairs and the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court (ECSC), with the support of the Compete Caribbean Program.
The division's aim is to reduce the burden on the court system, enhance the business environment as it relates to the enforcement of commercial contracts thus providing an efficient and cost effective mechanism to rule on commercial matters in Saint Lucia. The division is expected to deliver an expeditious and cost effective mode of resolving disputes that directly affect the commercial and financial sectors in Saint Lucia.
To date, progress has been made in the area of formulating the necessary legislative requirements for the operations of the division. The Procedural Rules for the Court have been finalized and submitted to the Chief Justice. The process to amend the Civil Code and the Code of Civil Procedure has started. This will require final approval by Cabinet and Parliament.
The physical location of the division has been agreed upon and retrofitting of the space is to begin shortly. And finally, the recruitment of staff has begun, including the identification of a Judge. St. Lucia looks forward to launching the division soon!
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