The Kiribati Court of Appeal is the

supreme court A supreme court is the highest court within the hierarchy of courts in most legal jurisdictions. Other descriptions for such courts include court of last resort, apex court, and high (or final) court of appeal. Broadly speaking, the decisions of ...

Kiribati Kiribati (), officially the Republic of Kiribati ( gil, ibaberikiKiribati),Kiribati
''The Wor ...

established according to the

Constitution of Kiribati The Constitution of Kiribati is the supreme law of Kiribati, which was implemented in 1979. The constitution was subsequently amended in the years 1995, 2016, and 2018. The constitution established the principles of the Bill of Rights and the pro ...

of 12 July 1979 (section 90). The Court sits in

Betio Betio is the largest township of Kiribati's capital city, South Tarawa, and the country's main port. The settlement is located on a separate islet at the extreme southwest of the atoll. Betio Post Office opened on 5 April 1957 and closed in 1964. ...

South Tarawa South Tarawa ( gil, Tarawa Teinainano) is the capital and hub of the Republic of Kiribati and home to more than half of Kiribati's population. The South Tarawa population centre consists of all the small islets from Betio in the west to Bonriki ...

. Sometimes the superior court of Kiribati is also considered to be the High Court of Kiribati because they also share the same building and personal, and the Court of Appeal is a division of High Court, but the Court of Appeal has a superior role. It consists of at least 5 judges whom the Chief Justice of the High Court of Kiribati and 4 other judges named Justices of Appeal (JA), all of them appointed by the

President of Kiribati The president of Kiribati ( gil, Beretitenti) is the head of state and head of government of Kiribati. Following a general election, by which citizens elect the members of the House of Assembly, members select from their midst "not less than 3 ...

. There is also a president of the Court, also appointed by the President of Kiribati in accordance to section 90 (3) of the constitution. Chief Justice Bill Hastings was President of the Court of Appeal until his suspension on 30 June 2022. Sir

Peter Blanchard Sir Peter Blanchard (born 2 August 1942) is a former judge of the Supreme Court of New Zealand. Biography Blanchard was born in the Auckland suburb of Epsom on 2 August 1942, the son of Cyril and Zora Blanchard. His father served as a flying o ...

, Rodney Hansen and Paul Heath were also members of the Kiribati Court of Appeal until they were suspended on 6 September 2022. The suspensions created the

2022 Kiribati constitutional crisis A constitutional crisis began in Kiribati when the Cabinet of Kiribati suspended two of its Court Justices. High Court Judge David Lambourne was suspended in May 2022 while Chief Justice Bill Hastings was suspended on 30 June 2022, both over a ...

. The fifth member, Raynor Asher, was appointed but never sworn in. The Justices of the Court determine appeal and review cases from the High Court, based on question of facts and law and breach of natural justice in general. The Court of Appeal has jurisdiction to hear any civil or criminal appeals as of right from any High Court of Kiribati decision on a question of law.

References

External links

Constitution of Kiribati
– Chapter VI, Part II - The Court of Appeal, page 46.

Kiribati Kiribati (), officially the Republic of Kiribati ( gil, ibaberikiKiribati),Kiribati
''The Wor ...

{{Kiribati-stub Judiciary of Kiribati