Saint Lucia’s Commercial Court handled $49 million in claims last year, as it continued efforts to streamline business dispute resolution.
The court’s efficient and timely adjudication has improved Saint Lucia’s ease of doing business and overall competitiveness, officials said, and expectations are that its mandate will expand beyond commercial cases.
Officially known as the Commercial Division of the High Court, the court was inaugurated on January 20, 2016, as a specialised body within the judiciary to resolve commercial disputes effectively.
Registrar of the High Court, Daniel Francis, said the court continues to significantly benefit both the judicial system and the people of Saint Lucia.
“For 2024 alone, we have seen an approximate EC$49 million in values of claims pass through the commercial court for that year and we anticipate that the performance of the court will continue to meet and exceed that benchmark figure,” he said.
The core functions of the Commercial Court include resolving business disputes, ensuring efficient case management, protecting business interests, supporting economic growth, and enforcing commercial laws.
However, Francis said, “what we’ve seen over the last few years is that the Commercial Court in particular has taken on matters beyond the strict commercial sense and aids the civil courts in matters involving general civil practice and procedure.”
Given the court’s success, he anticipates that its mandate will expand beyond commercial cases in the future.
The National Competitiveness and Productivity Council (NCPC), instrumental in establishing the court, also continues to monitor its success.
NCPC Director Lisa Florent-Montoute highlighted how the initiative, backed by funding from Compete Caribbean and implemented in collaboration with the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court the Government of Saint Lucia, has improved the country’s business climate.
“This has worked quite well in ensuring what I know successive governments have been trying to achieve – a swifter justice system. It has helped make our litigation process much faster,” she said.
“Court cases used to drag on for years before being resolved. Separating commercial cases from civil cases has been beneficial in ensuring they are handled independently. In terms of our competitiveness, we have improved, and there has been a noticeable enhancement in our business environment.”
