The Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court (ECSC) opened the 2020 Law Year this week under the theme “A New Era for the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court- the Road to Achieving Court Excellence.”

The Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court serves nine jurisdictions across the Caribbean including Saint Lucia.

Chief Justice Hon. Dame Janice Pereira opened the law year with the feature address. She said that over the last year the Courts have taken small steps to improve the delivery of justice to the people it serves. She provided an overview of the volume of work that the courts deal with on a yearly basis.

The ECSC will implement new measures where possible to facilitate business processes, in order to provide for more efficient court systems and better delivery of services. In Saint Lucia, the government made it a key area of focus to reduce the backlog of cases by 75 percent by the end of 2019. To do that government fortified the office of the Director of Public Prosecutions by providing more resources as well as increasing the number of magistrates and judges.

Justice Pereira said such interventions are necessary to assist the courts in achieving excellence, especially since there is a lack of adequate court facilities within the region.

The law year opened in Antigua and Barbuda. The address was streamed live via simulcast to the other eight territories.