ST. JOHN’S, Antigua – Leaders of the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) have agreed to increase the age of retirement for judges of the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court (ECSC) from 65 to 70 years.
Madam Justice Margaret Price-FindlayOECS chairman and Antigua and Barbuda Prime Minister Gaston Browne said that the issue had been discussed at the two-day OECS summit which ended here on Monday.
Browne said that discussions were held with the Chief Justice of the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court, Madam Justice Margaret Price-Findlay and “one of the recommendations coming out of the discussions with the Chief Justice is that the retirement age for judges should be increased to 70 years of age”.
He acknowledge having a difficulty wen judges retire at the age 65”and then not being able to readily recruit judges, you know, who have the necessary expertise and experience.
“And that recommendation was certainly met with the approval of heads, so we expect to see some changes in the upcoming maybe weeks and months,” Browne added.
The ECSC is the superior court of record for the OECS. It handles both civil and criminal matters and serves six independent nations and three British overseas territories in the Caribbean region, namely Antigua and Barbuda, Dominicca, Grenada, St.Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Sr. Kitts and Nevis, Montserrat, Anguilla and the British Virgin Islands.
Headquartered in St. Lucia, the ECSC is composed of two primary divisions, namely the High Court of Justice, which primarily serves as the court of first instance for trials and hearings in each member state and the Court of Appea, an itinerant court that travels from island to island to hear appeals from the High Court and local Magistrates’ courts.
