By Devonne Cornelius
St. Kitts and Nevis (WINN): Attorney General of St. Kitts and Nevis the Hon. Vincent Byron Jr. was among legal practitioners speaking at the Virtual Opening of the Law Year 2022 on Tuesday, January 11.
Byron, who also serves as Minister of Justice and Legal Affairs in the Federal Cabinet, used the opportunity to speak on the continuity of justice amidst the COVID-19 restrictions.
“We have been grateful for the court’s proactive decision to introduce and implement a number of measures and strategies in response to the COVID-19 pandemic,” Hon. Byron Jr. said.
He stated: “By these measures, the court sought to strike the balance of safeguarding the health and safety of the public, judicial officers and the court staff while maintaining a functional judicial system, allowing access to justice and the proper administration of justice.
Electronic means of communication, video, and teleconference have been utilised where feasible to conduct hearings in each of our territories and member states. Practitioners working remotely from their office and other locations by electronic digital link such as zoom set up by the court office, the court’s use of technology, and in particular, the electronic litigation portal continue to pay dividends during the past year. We continue to file matters online and there has been the facilitation of remote hearings,” he added.
The Virtual Opening of the Law Year 2022 was hosted by the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court (ECSC) under the theme “The ECSC: Re-imagining the Justice System in the Era of COVID-19 and Beyond’. Chairing the Virtual Opening was Her Ladyship, The Hon. Dame Janice M. Pereira, DBE, LL.D., Chief Justice:
