Providenciales, 12 Jan 2016 – Twenty pieces of legislation were itemized as significant when the country’s Attorney General, Rhonda Lee Braithwaite-Knowles made her presentation in the Supreme Court on Monday to open the 2016 legal year officially.
Drafted and enacted in 2015 were: the new Immigration Ordinance, new Turks and Caicos Islander Status Ordinance; the Small Medium Enterprise Ordinance to encourage local business development she said; an Attorney General’s Reference Ordinance to enable questions to be referred to the Court of Appeal; a New Anti-Domestic Violence Ordinance; a New Family Guardianship Custody and Access to Children provisions and also new is the provision for Child Care and Adoption.
But the AG said there is still work to be done, six more legislative changes were cited for early in this year: Amendments to the Elections Ordinance; Amendments to the Political Activities Ordinance; New Domestic Insurance provisions; New Trust provisions; New Trust Companies (Licensing and Supervision) provisions and New Prevention of Trafficking in Persons provisions.
The Attorney General revealed those will all be debated in the House of Assembly the first quarter of the year. Legal Drafters, who were thanked for their hard work, will also work toward eight more pieces of legal reform; New Limitation of Actions provisions, a new Companies provisions; a new Insolvency provisions; there will be fresh criminal law and procedures reforms and the legislature will welcome, New Legal Profession provisions, New Anti-Bribery provisions, More elaborate provision to provide for the Maintenance of Children and New provisions relating to Child and Juvenile Justice.
Before moving the motion to see the Supreme Court opened, AG Braithwaite Knowles spoke personally of the year 2015, and I quote: “I continue to be humbled by the responsibilities of the Attorney General. I am challenged and excited by the myriad of interesting and sometimes surprising issues that arise at work every day. I pledge my support and that of my Team at the Attorney General’s Chambers to continue, and enthusiastic support for the judicial system and the rule of law in service of the people of the Turks and Caicos Islands.”
Next time, we focus on the list of international strides named by the Attorney General as notable achievements for the TCI in 2015.
