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The new Supreme Court Registrar, Mrs. Vareen Vanterpool-Nibbs, in recent BVI Finance Breakfast Forum promised greater efficiency in the court systems and registry.
“We have a lot of users of our courts and our registry; to handle the affairs of estates, of corporations, litigants and persons themselves. [There is] a lot to be done and I have to ensure that that work continues efficiently and effectively,” Mrs. Vanterpool-Nibbs told participants of the forum.
Mrs. Vanterpool-Nibbs, appointed as the new registrar, on February 15, 2021, is responsible for ensuring the court’s administration operates in an efficient and effective manner in keeping with the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court (ECSC) procedures and rules. She also manages business operations of the Supreme Court and Court of Appeal in the BVI, administers hearings, coordinates mediation and corresponds with litigants.
The registrar spent time addressing filings of probate matters, which are currently filed manually. Mrs. Vanterpool-Nibbs said that the registry will indicate its readiness for e-filing in the near future.
Mrs. Vanterpool-Nibbs said the registry is looking to boost response time on probate matters, stating, “The registry still has probate administration as top priority, and we are aiming to better streamline the process, certainly to have probate matters processed a lot quicker than has happened over the years.”
“We have a responsibility to balance all that we are responsible for, and we will do our utmost best to address these in a timely manner.”
Concerning criminal court and criminal proceedings, Mrs. Vanterpool-Nibbs said the registry will be outfitting the court in adherence to COVID-19 safety protocols, to make provisions to have a jury pool along with litigants.
The registrar also highlighted the e-litigation portal, stating that it is in the “interest of the wider ECSC and the BVI to continue e-filings and to move our court registry systems to e-platforms”. She also said that all other areas, including criminal, civil, commercial, and litigation, are to be filed on the e-portal.
Mrs. Vanterpool-Nibbs concluded the session by saying: “I expect you the users to keep me answerable to you, keep me innovative and keep me assertive in this role..to help what you do. ”
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