Mrs. Michelle John-Theobalds
Anguilla has become the latest OECS Member State to implement the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court’s Electronic-Litigation Portal (E-Litigation Portal). This system facilitates the filing of civil proceedings and family matters. The launch of the portal took place on Thursday 20th April, 2023, at the Magistrate’s Court.
The Court’s Information Services and Communications Manager, Mr. Dwaymian Brissette, was the moderator for the event. He said that the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court’s Electronic-Litigation Portal has revolutionized courts in the region and has provided access to [swifter] justice since its inception in 2017. He said that now the court has taken another step towards improving access to justice in each of the OECS Member States and territories.
His Honour, Senior Magistrate Mr. Keithly Benjamin, said that it was an honour for him to be part of the historic occasion in the upgrade of the Magistrate’s Court in Anguilla, and to join the other member states of the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court who are currently utilizing the E-Litigation Portal for the filing of all civil proceedings and family matters.
He noted: “My understanding of the implementation of the E-Litigation Portal is reflected in the answer to the clarion call from the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court’s stakeholders who required a convenient way to interact with the courts without always having to approach the clerk’s counter.”
He said the implementation of the E-Litigation Portal provides an efficient, cost effective, transparent and reliable platform for the submission and processing of court documents electronically.
“I have been informed that the E-Litigation Portal enhances access to justice and no one will be excluded, even in exceptional circumstances,” he said, “where a litigant may not have access to a computer, the time spent at the clerk’s counter will be significantly reduced, for assistance will be rendered more speedily and efficiently, resulting in litigant’s satisfaction with time being saved.”
The Honourable Attorney General, Mr. Dwight Horsford, spoke to the benefits of emerging technology that has served to bring about the convenience of a more efficient court system with the introduction of the E-Litigation Portal.
“I am happy to be in this position where I can see upfront the strides that the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court has made in modernizing the processes,” he said. “I hope that we are recognizing that this is a means by which we are integrating the Magistrate’s Court and its processes with those that are not established by the Supreme Court…This is a good stride and I am very glad that I have the front seat to see it as I welcome it today.”
Her Ladyship, the Honourable Dame Janice M. Pereira, Chief Justice, commented that with the launch there is an introduction of the Magistrate Court into the wider judiciary system.
“With this launch,” she said, “we have reached another milestone for the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court, and indeed we have made a step in the integration of the magistracy into the wider judiciary.”
“This is absolutely necessary,” she emphasised. “If we are to look at whether the system of justice is felt and seen as being autonomous and independent, then we must do all within our powers to ensure that the public which we serve, perceives it that way, and that they feel it that way.”
“All that we do in relation to courts,” she said, “is really for serving the public – to ensure that there is a place where they can go with confidence to vindicate their rights when those rights are infringed.”
She said the E-Litigation Portal will provide ways and means whereby the courts’ officers can leverage technology to assist the court in serving the people of the region.
“The Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court is a regional court that is spread across states that are separated by water,” she observed. “So [we] must find ways to improve accessibility and communication. Information and Communication Technology (ICT) is clearly the answer.”
Toward the end of the launch, questions from the media and others, pertinent to the functionality of the E-Litigation Portal, were asked of the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court’s Technical Team, who included IT Manager, Mr. Mark Ernest; Court Administrator, Mr. Gregory Girard; and Chief Registrar, Mrs. Michelle John-Theobalds.
The new E-Litigation Portal replaces the former Judicial Enforcement Management System (JEMS) which has been in use within all the Courts of the OECS Member States and Territories since 2000.
The E-Litigation solution is a highly proven web-based application software that was developed by CrimsonLogic Ltd., headquartered in Singapore, with a branch established in Trinidad and Tobago.
Anguilla has become the sixth OECS Member State affiliated with the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court to implement the E-Litigation Portal. Member States include Antigua & Barbuda; Grenada; St. Kitts & Nevis; St. Lucia; and The British Virgin Islands.
