Vanuatu's final court. It is expressly non-resident: the bench is constituted from visiting judges and sits in sessions, typically a few times a year, so appeals are grouped into sittings rather than heard on a rolling basis. Its judgments are delivered in English or French, reflecting the bijural inheritance of the Anglo-French Condominium.
How the court is constituted
- Tier
- supreme
- Court type
- Court of final appeal
- Jurisdiction
- Final appeals from the Supreme Court in civil, criminal and constitutional matters.
- Seat
- Port Vila
- Established
- 1980
- Composition
- Two or more judges of the Supreme Court sitting as the Court of Appeal, usually including visiting judges.
- Appointment
- Judges are appointed by the President on the advice of the Judicial Service Commission.
- Languages
- English, French, Bislama
Where an appeal goes next
None. This is the final court.
Filing at this court
- Notice of appeal
- Within 30 days of the Supreme Court decision
- Sittings
- The court sits in sessions; the registry lists appeals for the next sitting
Found something out of date on Court of Appeal of Vanuatu?
Corrections are reviewed against the primary source before anything changes.