Attorneys General of the OECS will convene their 11th committee meeting on Thursday April 14 in Basseterre, St. Kitts and Nevis.

The OECS Legal Affairs Committee will consider four bills namely; The Integrity in Public Life Bill, The Consumer Protection Bill, The Patents Bill and The Trade Marks Bill.

The Integrity in Public Life Bill is described as “An Act to establish an Integrity Commission in order to ensure integrity in public life to obtain declarations of the assets, 

liabilities, and income and interest in relation to property of persons in public life and to give effect to the provisions of the Inter-American Convention Against Corruption and for matters incidental thereto and connected therewith.” Attorneys General of the OECS will convene their 11th committee meeting on Thursday April 14 in Basseterre, St. Kitts and Nevis

The OECS Legal Affairs Committee will consider four bills namely; The Integrity in Public Life Bill, The Consumer Protection Bill, The Patents Bill and The Trade Marks Bill.

The Integrity in Public Life Bill is described as “An Act to establish an Integrity Commission in order to ensure integrity in public life to obtain declarations of the assets, liabilities, and income and interest in relation to property of persons in public life and to give effect to the provisions of the Inter-American Convention Against Corruption and for matters incidental thereto and connected therewith.”

The Consumer Protection Bill is to provide for the promotion and protection of consumer interests, in relation to the supply of goods and the provision of services in order to ensure protection of life, health and safety of consumers and others, the establishment of a Consumer Protection Commission and for related matters. 

The Patents Bill is designed to give effect to certain international conventions on patents and for related matters while the Trade Marks Bill is an ACT to provide for the promotion and protection of trademarks and for related matters.

Besides those statutes, the OECS Family Law and the Judicial and Legal Reform Initiatives are also down for discussion.

The much talked about proposed Caricom Single Market and Economy and the Caribbean Court of Justice are part of the agenda as well.

The Attorney General of Saint Kitts and Nevis, Delano Bart is expected to preside over the 11 session of the OECS Legal Affairs Committee.

Also on the agenda is the likely abolition of the Office of the Lord Chancellor that is being closely monitored by the OECS Member States. The reason being, that the Lord Chancellor advises Her Majesty on the appointment of the Chief Justice. He is also responsible for setting up a tribunal for the disciplining of the Chief Justice. Any restructuring of this office may have an impact on the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court Order which provides for the appointment and disciplining of the Chief Justice. Moreover, this issue is in its premature stage since the Constitutional Reform Bill that proposed the abolition of this office in England has not yet been passed. 

These Bills are part of a package for harmonised legislation in the OECS Member States. The Consumer Protection Bill, the Trade Marks and Patents Bill all relate to modern trade related issues with WIPO, the WTO and the FTAA. The Integrity in Public Life Bill provides compliance with the OAS Inter American Convention Against Corruption which provides mechanisms to curb corruption against public officers.

Contacts: 

Kendol Morgan Senior Communications Officer OECS Secretariat This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Raymond O’Keiffe Comm.Officer OECS Secretariat email: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it