Court users and stakeholders in St. Kitts-Nevis can now access the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court (ECSC) via their smartphones, laptops and other devices at anytime, and from anywhere.
The ECSC officially launched its E-Litigation Portal in St. Kitts and Nevis on Monday, formally ushering in a new era that the regional court has embraced.
This E-Litigation solution is a highly proven web-based application software which allows for the electronic management of cases filed within the jurisdiction of the ECSC.
Stakeholders would have access to assigned services and will include the following components and features: (i) Judges’ Portal, (ii) Attorney access, (iii) Electronic Filing, (iv) Electronic Notification, (v) Electronic Payments, (vi) Electronic Docket preparation, and Electronic Case Management.
According to Chief Justice Her Ladyship Madame Janice Pereira, the E-Litigation web portal will serve as the platform to increase operational efficiency in the Courts of the sub-region, directly resulting in a reduction of operational costs while improving efficiency. Importantly, she said, the E-Judiciary solution will also contribute towards increasing the transparency of court services allowing the ECSC to improve access of its services to stakeholders on a macro level.
She encouraged stakeholders in St. Kitts and Nevis to embrace the change.
“Change is both necessary and inevitable. Changing is how we grow, how we accomplish, how we remain relevant. Unless we change, we will become stagnant and we will be left behind. Embrace the change of how you do business. You will reap the benefits [and] by extension the entire society will reap the benefits. You will make the Federation of St. Kitts and Nevis more competitive and aid in its growth and development. So, let us look to the future together and move forward together in building a more efficient, transparent and accountable judiciary at all levels.”
The court app has already been implanted in five other member states of the ECSC with a view to have full implementation in the near future.