Last Updated on July 8, 2024, 1:34 PM AST by Anthony Morris
St. Kitts and Nevis: Attorney-General and the Minister of Justice & Legal Affairs for the Federation of St. Kitts and Nevis Garth Wilkin highlighted about the new laws that has been passed recently. He updated the people through the Facebook post he made on July 8, 2024.
Minister Wilkin stated that the transition of St. Kitts and Nevis into a Modern Sustainable Island State requires proactive law revision. He underscored that in this Parliamentary Term, in just 21 months, in 12 sittings, 56 new laws had been tabled and 48 new laws have been passed.
Some new bills have been passed on July 5 during the sitting of the Parliament. The Attorney-General Wilkin summarised the recent bills as:
LIMITED PARTNERSHIPS (AMENDMENT) ACT, 2024
A limited partnership is a type of legal ownership structure created by business partners, in which there must be at-least one general partner and a limited partner. The amendment Act simply strengthens the transparency to reduce the risk that limited partnerships can be used for financial crimes.
This can be done by requiring persons, opening limited partnerships, to provide to the Registrar a copy of their partnership agreement with specific particulars and by increasing certain penalties for breach of the Act.
FOUNDATIONS (AMENDMENT) ACT, 2024
A foundation is a nonprofit legal entity or a charitable trust that makes grants to organizations, institutions, or individuals for charitable purposes.
This amendment Act also strengthens the transparency provisions to reduce the risk that foundations can be used for financial crimes, by requiring persons managing foundations to provide the Registrar with certain information and by increasing certain penalties for obligation of the Act.
OMBUDSMAN (AMENDMENT) ACT, 2024
The Ombudsman is empowered to investigate any administrative action of any arm of the Executive and to make recommendations to the State concerning any offending administrative action, etc.
The Information Commissioner, an office by the Freedom of Information Act, is required to monitor and report on the compliance by public authorities with their freedom of information obligations; to make recommendations for freedom of information reform, etc.
FREEDOM OF INFORMATION (AMENDMENT) ACT, 2024
This Act provides a mechanism by which members of the public, particularly the press, can gain access to non-confidential Government information. The amendment allows the Ombudsman or Special Prosecutor (an office created by the Anti-Corruption Act) to qualify for appointment as the Information Commissioner.
It also aligns the tenure of the Information Commissioner with that of the Ombudsman and Members of the Integrity Commission – a period not exceeding five years.
Anthony Morris covers stories related to politics and regional developments. His in-depth reporting about governance and reforms makes him stand out in regional journalism, with a deep analysis of political trends and their impact on Caribbean communities.
