Courts of Justice Fees (CAP. 115 1

CHAPTER 115

THE COURTS OF JUSTICE FEES ACT

Arrangement of Sections
Section

1. Short title.
2. Fixing fees payable in Courts of Justice, &c.
3. Order to be binding on all Courts, &c.
4. Payment into the Treasury.
5. Fees to be taken on stamps.
6. Stamps to be impressed or adhesive.
7. Rules.
8. Unstamped documents not evidence.
9 . Accounts of stamps.

10. Penalty for forgery.
11. Order may abolish existing fees.

SCHEDULE.

COURTS OF JUSTICE FEES

(29th J u ~ , 1880.) 1111932. 6 880
S.R.O. 2211956.

1811989.

1. This Act may be cited as the Courts of Justice Fees She*
Act.

2. The Cabinet may, by order, fix the fees and per- payable Fixing fees in
centages (including the percentage on estates of persons of courts ofJustice,
unsound mind) to be taken in any court, or in any Court kc.
created by any Commission, or in any office which is con-
nected with any of those Courts, or in which any business

LAWS OF ANTIGUA AND BARBUDA

CAP. 115) Courts of Justice Fees

Order to be
binding on all
Courts, &c.

Payment into the
Treasury.

Fees to be taken
in stamps.
Schedule.

Stamps to be
impressed or
adhesive.

Rules.

Unstamped
documents not
evidence.

connected with any of those Courts is conducted, or by any
officer, paid wholly or partly out of public moneys, who is
attached to any of those Courts, or to the office of Registrar
of Deeds, and may by order, increase, reduce, or abolish
all or any of such fees and percentages, and appoint new
fees and percentages to be taken in the said Courts or offices,
or any of them, or by any such officer as aforesaid.

3. Any order made in pursuance of this Act shall be
binding on all Courts, offices, and officers to which it refers,
in the same manner as if it had been enacted by Parliament.

4. All such fees and percentages shall be paid into
the Treasury.

5 . It shall be lawful for the Cabinet, by notice, in the
form given in the Schedule, to declare and direct that, from
and after the time specified in such notice, all and any of
such fees for the time being payable in money shall be taken
by means of stamps; and, from and after the time specified
in any such notice, the fees therein mentioned shall be
received by stamps denoting the amounts payable, and not
in money.

6. Such stamps shall be impressed, or adhesive, and
shall only be distributed by the Accountant-General and such
other Government officers as the Cabinet may direct.

7. The Cabinet may make rules for publishing the
amount of the fees and regulating the use of such stamps,
and particularly for prescribing the application thereof to
documents in use or required to be used for the purposes
of such stamps, and for insuring the proper cancellation of
stamps, and for keeping accounts of such stamps and for
the allowancing for spoiled or misused stamps.

8. Any document which ought to bear a stamp in
pursuance of this Act, or any rule or order made thereunder,
shall not be received, filed, used, or admissible in evidence,
except in criminal trials or inquiries, unless and until it is
properly stamped within the time prescribed by the rules
under this Act regulating the use of stamps, but if any such
document is, through mistake or inadvertence, received, filed,

LAWS OF ANTIGUA AND BARBUDA

Courts of Justice Fees (CAP. 115

or used without being properly stamped, the Court may,
if it thinks fit, order that the same be stamped on the pay-
ment of a penalty, or otherwise, as in such order may be
directed.

9. An account of all money received in respect of Accounts of
stamps.

stamps under this Act shall be kept in the Treasury.

10. Any person who forges any such stamp shall be g;:;. for
liable to be imprisoned, with or without hard labour, for
any term not exceeding seven years.

1 . An order under this Act may abolish any existing order abolish existing
fees and percentages which may be taken in the said Courts fees.
or offices, or any of them, or by the said officers, or any
of them; but, subject to the provisions of any order made
in pursuance of this Act, the existing fees and percentages
shall continue to be taken, applied, and accounted for in
the existing manner.

SCHEDULE S. 5

NOTICE UNDER THE COURTS OF JUSTICE FEES ACT

The Cabinet in pursuance of the provisions of this Act, hereby
declares and directs that, from and after the
day of , the fees for the time being, payable
(here insert the nature of the fees) shall be taken in stamps.