Supreme Court of Seychelles

Last updated
The Supreme Court Annexe of the Seychelles Palais de Justice Seychelles Supreme Court building.jpg
The Supreme Court Annexe of the Seychelles Palais de Justice

The Supreme Court of Seychelles is the highest trial court in Seychelles.

Contents

It was created in 1903 by Order in Council, when it consisted of one judge who was the Chief Justice of the Court. Appeal cases with final judgments of the court in civil matters were transferred to the Supreme Court of Mauritius. [1]

When Seychelles became a Republic in 1976, a new Seychelles Court of Appeal was constituted which consisted of a President, two Justices of Appeal and the Judges of the Supreme Court as ex-officio members. Appeals to the court of Civil Appeal of Mauritius were abolished.

In 1993, under the new constitution, the judicial power of Seychelles is vested in the Supreme Court, a Court of Appeal, and such subordinate courts or tribunals that may be established by legislature. The Attorney-General and the judges of the Supreme Court are appointed by the President from a list of candidates prepared by the Constitutional Appointments Authority. The head of the Supreme Court, who is also the head of the Judiciary, is entitled the Chief Justice. The other judges of the Supreme Court are referred to as Puisne Judges.

Chief Justices of the Crown Colony

IncumbentTenureNotes
Took officeLeft office
Fury Alfred Herchenroder [1] 19031905(later Chief Justice of Mauritius, 1913)
Eric Blackwood Wright [1] 19051909
Alfred Karney Young [1] 19091913(afterwards Attorney General of Fiji, 1913)
Sir Ewen Reginald Logan [1] 19141919(afterwards Chief Justice of the Bahamas, 1925)
Sir Philip Bertie Petrides [1] 19201924(later Chief Justice of the Gold Coast, 1936)
Sir Justin Louis Devaux 19241927(later Chief Justice of Mauritius, 1940)
Robert Vere de Vere 19271931(afterwards Chief Justice of Grenada, 1931)
Patrick Joseph Stanislaus Walsh [2] 19311936
John Woodman OBE 19431947
Malcolm Douglas Lyon 19481957
Sir France Bonnetard [3] 19581966
Sir William Campbell Wylie 19661970
Sir Georges Souyave [1] 1970?1976

Chief Justices of the Republic

Swearing in of Mathilda Twomey as Chief Justice James Michel and Mathilda Twomey, August 2015.jpg
Swearing in of Mathilda Twomey as Chief Justice
IncumbentTenureNotes
Took officeLeft office
James Aiden O'Brien Quinn [1] 19761977(Expelled; afterwards Chief Justice of Kiribati, 1977–1980; Botswana, 1981–1987)
Earle Edward Seaton [1] 19781989
Isaac Kobina Donkor Abban [4] 19901993(afterwards Chief Justice of Ghana,1995)
Vivekanand Alleear 19942009
Andrew Ranjan Perera 2009
Martin Stephen Egonda-Ntende [5] 20092014Durai Karunakaran served as acting Chief Justice from 2014 to 2015.
Mathilda Twomey [5] 20152020
Rony Goviden [6] 2020

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Politics of Mauritius</span> Political system of Mauritius

Politics of Mauritius takes place in a framework of a parliamentary democracy. The separation of powers is among the three branches of the Government of Mauritius, namely the legislative, the executive and the Judiciary, is embedded in the Constitution of Mauritius.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Courts of the Republic of Ireland</span>

The Courts of Ireland consist of the Supreme Court, the Court of Appeal, the High Court, the Circuit Court, the District Court and the Special Criminal Court. With the exception of the Special Criminal Court, all courts exercise both civil and criminal jurisdiction, although when the High Court is exercising its criminal jurisdiction it is known as the Central Criminal Court.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Supreme Court of New South Wales</span> Superior court of New South Wales, Australia

The Supreme Court of New South Wales is the highest state court of the Australian State of New South Wales. It has unlimited jurisdiction within the state in civil matters, and hears the most serious criminal matters. Whilst the Supreme Court is the highest New South Wales court in the Australian court hierarchy, an appeal by special leave can be made to the High Court of Australia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">High Court (Hong Kong)</span> Superior court of record with unlimited civil and criminal jurisdiction in Hong Kong

The High Court of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region is a part of the legal system of Hong Kong. It consists of the Court of Appeal and the Court of First Instance; it deals with criminal and civil cases which have risen beyond the lower courts. It is a superior court of record of unlimited civil and criminal jurisdiction. It was named the Supreme Court before 1997. Though previously named the Supreme Court, this Court has long been the local equivalent to the Senior Courts of England and Wales and has never been vested with the power of final adjudication.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Judiciary of England and Wales</span>

There are various levels of judiciary in England and Wales—different types of courts have different styles of judges. They also form a strict hierarchy of importance, in line with the order of the courts in which they sit, so that judges of the Court of Appeal of England and Wales are generally given more weight than district judges sitting in county courts and magistrates' courts. On 1 April 2020 there were 3,174 judges in post in England and Wales. Some judges with United Kingdom-wide jurisdiction also sit in England and Wales, particularly Justices of the United Kingdom Supreme Court and members of the tribunals judiciary.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Government of Oregon</span> Government of the U.S. state of Oregon

The government of the U.S. state of Oregon, as prescribed by the Oregon Constitution, is composed of three government branches: the executive, the legislative, and the judicial. These branches operate in a manner similar to that of the federal government of the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Supreme Court of Indonesia</span> Independent judicial arm of the state of Indonesia

The Supreme Court of the Republic of Indonesia is the independent judicial arm of the state. It maintains a system of courts and sits above the other courts and is the final court of appeal. It can also re-examine cases if new evidence emerges.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Supreme Court of Ghana</span> Highest judicial body in Ghana

The Supreme Court of Ghana is the highest judicial body in Ghana. Ghana's 1992 constitution guarantees the independence and separation of the Judiciary from the Legislative and the Executive arms of government.

The judiciary of India is a system of courts that interpret and apply the law in the Republic of India. India uses a common law system, first introduced by the British East India Company and with influence from other colonial powers and Indian princely states, as well as practices from ancient and medieval times. The constitution provides for a single unified judiciary in India.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Judicial officers of the Republic of Singapore</span>

The judicial officers of the Republic of Singapore work in the Supreme Court and the State Courts to hear and determine disputes between litigants in civil cases and, in criminal matters, to determine the liability of accused persons and their sentences if they are convicted.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chief Justice of Ghana</span> Highest-ranking judge of the Supreme Court of Ghana

The Chief Justice of Ghana is the highest-ranking judge of the Supreme Court of Ghana. The chief justice is also the head of the Judiciary of Ghana and is responsible for its administration and supervision. In order of state precedence, the chief justice is the fourth highest official in Ghana.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Judiciary of Bahrain</span>

The Judiciary of Bahrain is the court system of Bahrain. It is divided into three branches: the Civil Law Courts, the Criminal Law Courts and the Shari'a Law Courts. The Civil Law Courts deal with all commercial, civil, as well disputes related to the personal status of non-Muslims. The Shari’a Law Courts have jurisdiction over all issues related to the personal status of Muslims.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Supreme Court of Mauritius</span>

The Supreme Court of Mauritius is the highest court of Mauritius and is the final court of appeal in the Mauritian judicial system. It was established in its current form in 1850, replacing the Cour d'Appel established in 1808 during the French administration and has a permanent seat in Port Louis. There is a right of appeal from the Supreme Court of Mauritius directly to the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council in London. The Judicial Committee of the Privy Council (JCPC) is the court of final appeal for Mauritius.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Judiciary of Kenya</span>

The Judiciary of Kenya is the system of courts that interprets and applies the law in Kenya. After the promulgation of the constitution of Kenya in 2010, the general public, through parliament, sought to reform the judiciary. Parliament passed the Magistrates and Judges Vetting Act of 2011. A major part of reforming the judiciary was the vetting of Magistrates and Judges in an attempt to weed out unsuitable ones. The Judicature Act has also been amended to raise the minimum number of Magistrates and Judges allowing more judicial officers to be hired. More magistrates and judges are needed to clear the backlog of cases that have caused great delay in the conclusion of cases and to staff new courts. New courts are needed to bring the courts closer to the people which is in line with devolution, a major principle written into the Constitution of 2010. New courts like the High Court opened in Garissa in November 2014 is a good example. In the past residents of North Eastern Kenya had to go all the way to Embu to access a High Court.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Judiciary of Mauritius</span>

The Judiciary of Mauritius is responsible for the administration of justice in Mauritius and has as mission to maintain an independent and competent judicial system which upholds the rule of law, safeguards the rights and freedom of the individual and commands domestic and international confidence. The Constitution provides for the institution of an independent judiciary which is based on the concept of separation of powers. Mauritius has a single-structured judicial system consisting of two parts, the Supreme Court and the Subordinate Courts. The Subordinate Courts consist of the Court of Rodrigues, the Intermediate Court, the Industrial Court, the District Courts, the Bail and Remand Court, the Criminal and Mediation Court and the Commercial Court. The Chief Justice is head of the judiciary. The Constitution of Mauritius is the supreme legal document of the country. The final appeal from decisions of the Court of Appeal of Mauritius to the Judicial Committee of the Privy council in London as provided for under the Constitution of Mauritius.

The Judiciary of Sri Lanka are the civil and criminal courts responsible for the administration of justice in Sri Lanka. The Constitution of Sri Lanka defines courts as independent institutions within the traditional framework of checks and balances. They apply Sri Lankan Law which is an amalgam of English common law, Roman-Dutch civil law and Customary Law; and are established under the Judicature Act No 02 of 1978 of the Parliament of Sri Lanka.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Judiciary of Sierra Leone</span>

The Judiciary of Sierra Leone is the branch of the Government of the Republic of Sierra Leone which interprets and applies the laws of Sierra Leone to ensure impartial justice under law and to provide a mechanism for dispute resolution. The independence of the judiciary is guaranteed by the constitution.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mathilda Twomey</span> Seychellois lawyer and academic

Mathilda Twomey is a Seychellois lawyer and academic. She is the first female judge in the history of Seychelles and also the first woman to be appointed Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Seychelles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chief Judge of the High Court of Hong Kong</span>

The Chief Judge of the High Court of Hong Kong (CJHC) is the head of the High Court of Hong Kong and the President of the Court of Appeal of Hong Kong. In the Hong Kong order of precedence, the Chief Judge is the second most senior administrative judge for the courts system, second only to the Chief Justice of the Court of Final Appeal of Hong Kong. The position of Chief Judge is the broad equivalent of the Master of the Rolls in the courts system of England and Wales.

The judiciary of the Philippines consists of the Supreme Court, which is established in the Constitution, and three levels of lower courts, which are established through law by the Congress of the Philippines. The Supreme Court has expansive powers, able to overrule political and administrative decisions, and with the ability to craft rules and law without precedent. It further determines the rules of procedure for lower courts, and its members sit on electoral tribunals.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Mathiot, Tony. "The Judicial History Of Seychelles". Seychelles Ministry for Youth Sports and Culture. Archived from the original on 5 October 2017. Retrieved 5 October 2017.
  2. "No. 33769". The London Gazette . 6 November 1931. p. 7155.
  3. "Bonnetard, Sir (Nicolas Patrick) France, (20 Feb. 1907–9 Oct. 1969), Chief Justice, Seychelles, 1958–66". Who Was Who. 2007. doi:10.1093/ww/9780199540884.013.u51949.
  4. "Chief Justice Isaac Kobina Donkor Abban". Seychelles News. Archived from the original on 25 February 2016. Retrieved 19 February 2016.
  5. 1 2 "First woman Chief Justice appointed in Seychelles". Seychelles News Agency. Archived from the original on 1 March 2016. Retrieved 18 February 2016.
  6. Bonnelame, Betymie (9 November 2020). "Seychelles' new Chief Justice sworn in, pledges, vows to keep justice at forefront". Seychelles News Agency. Archived from the original on 28 November 2020. Retrieved 9 December 2020.