St. Kitts and Nevis (WINN): Media practitioners were on Thursday (Mar. 30) briefed on the implementation of the family module of the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court (ECSC) E-Litigation Portal.
Speaking at the media briefing was ECSC Chief Justice, Her Ladyship the Honourable Dame Janice Pereira, who spoke about the implementation of the E-Litigation Portal in the Magistracy.
“We felt it is time now to begin that implementation across the OECS in relation to the Magistrate’s Court because we speak about integration and training of the magistracy and building capacity for the magistracy like any other judicial office in the region, and this forms a vital part,” said Chief Justice Pereira.
She added, “We know and you’ve heard it said here this afternoon [Mar. 30, 2023], that the bulk of cases come first to the magistracy, not the High Court. Yes, many come because we have been a growing number of cases throughout but if it is growing in the High Court it means it is also growing across our magistracy…”
Benefits of the E-Litigation Portal include reducing scheduling conflicts for court hearings, enhancing online search capabilities of cases, increasing cost savings associated with printing and other administrative duties, and promoting transparency as document submissions are automatically dated and time-stamped.
The E-Litigation Portal was officially launched in November 2019 and has introduced electronic court filings, electronic case management, billing collection, and court scheduling. Users of the secure web-based service can access the e-Litigation Portal anywhere and at any time using a smart device. The portal uses software developed by Crimson Logic, a company based in Singapore, and is a significant upgrade to the current system that the court uses.
Also in attendance at Thursday’s media briefing were senior officials from the ECSC, as well as Minister of Information and Communication Technology Hon. Konris Maynard, who attended on Attorney General Hon. Garth Wilkin’s behalf, and members of the St. Kitts and Nevis judicial service and legal fraternity.
