The territory’s commercial court, which has sat in the Virgin Islands continually since its 2009 opening, will relocate to Castries, St. Lucia, court officials said.
The VI Commercial Court, known formally as the Commercial Division of the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court, will reopen in Castries, St. Lucia’s capital, on Sept. 25, the ECSC said in a press release.
Court facilities in Road Town, which include the court itself and the nearby High Court Registry, suffered damage and destruction after the recent passage of Hurricane Irma.
The ECSC, which is headquartered in Castries, said “urgent applications”to the commercial court can be filed electronically prior to Sept. 25.
Matters adjourned
Meanwhile, High Court and Magistrate’s Court proceedings for criminal and civil matters in the VI have been adjourned “until further notice,”the ECSC said.
All other civil cases have been adjourned “unless practitioners, litigants and witnesses can travel to Saint Lucia and can be accommodated on a pre–arranged basis,”the court said.
The ECSC said that in the future matters “may also be heard” on a case by case basis via videoconference if communications are restored to a satisfactory level.
{fcomment}