Ministry of Tourism and Legal Affairs

The Ministry of Tourism and Legal Affairs is responsible for:

• The sustainable development of tourism with special emphasis on the promotion of Eco-tourism;

• Ensuring that Dominica’s Justice System, Registry Department, Companies and Intellectual Property Office as well as Financial Intelligence Unit functions effectively and efficiently as individual entities but collectively and ultimately for the attainment of the Ministry’s objectives.

Functions of the Ministry include:

• Timely and accurate drafting of legislations;
• Provision of sound legal advice and representation to the Government of the Commonwealth of Dominica;
• The management of the judicial process;
• Administration of business, land and civil registration services.

Mission

The Ministry's mission is two-fold:

• To provide an enabling environment to facilitate the development and expansion of economic activities in tourism, industry and enterprise development; in a manner consistent with sustainable development goals, so as to contribute to national economic growth; to create social and cultural opportunities and career paths for the young people; to protect the national resources and scenic features of the country; and to nurture community involvement in tourism.

• To protect and promote Intellectual Property Rights, provide sound legal advice and representation, administer justice and ensure proficient analysis and investigation of financial crimes in an efficient manner.

Vision

To Position Dominica as the premier sustainable tourism and ideal investment location/destination in the region and to attain a more just, secured and enhanced justice system.

Description and Organisational Structure

The Ministry of Tourism and Legal Affairs has the following departments:

• Attorney General's Chambers
• Companies and Intellectual Property Office
• Director of Public Prosecutions' Office
• Discover Dominica Authority
• Financial Intelligence Unit
• Legal Aid Clinic
• Magistrates' Court/Magistracy
• Meteorological Offices
• Registry/Supreme Court

Attorney General's Chambers

Companies and Intellectual Property Office
Functions of the Companies and Intellectual Property Office include:

• Registration of Intellectual Property
• Registration of International Business Companies
• Registration of Business Names, Local Companies and Non-profit Companies

Director Of Public Prosecutions’ (DPP) Office
The functions of the DPP’s office are:

• To institute or undertake any criminal matter for and on behalf of the state against any person or authority and to discontinue the same against any person or authority.

• Further the powers of the Director of Public Prosecutions Office is not subjected to or controlled by any person, body or authority as enshrine by the constitution of the Commonwealth of Dominica.Matters are investigated by the Police and passed on to the office of the Director of Public Prosecutions for advice and directives. This procedure is applied mainly in serious criminal matters.

Matters are investigated by the Police and passed on to the office of Director of Public Prosecutions for advice and directives. This procedure is applied mainly in serious criminal matters.

Discover Dominica Authority (Tourism Promotion and Marketing), a statutory body, facilitates/supports an enabling environment for promoting and attracting new and existing investment and small enterprises and promotes and markets tourism.

Financial Intelligent Unit

The Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) was established by dint of Section 12 of the Money Laundering (Prevention) Act No. 20 of 2000. The powers and functions of the FIU are captured at Section 14 of Act No. 20 of 2000. The FIU is also given investigative powers for the purposes relating to the prevention and suppression of terrorism under the aegis of Section 20 of the Suppression of the Financing of Terrorism Act No. 3 of 2003.

The FIU became operational as of July 23, 2001 as a Unit within the Ministry of Finance and was transferred to the Ministry of Legal Affairs on July 1, 2004. The Unit attained membership of the Egmont Group in July 2003 and has maintained international standards of operations. The Egmont Group is the international standard setting body for FIUs.

Legal Aid Clinic
The Legal Aid Clinic was established:

• To provide legal service to low income residents of Dominica at fees related principally to the ability of the individual to pay.

Types of legal services provided:

• Criminal, if there is a threat of incarceration
• Family/maintenance matters (particularly where there is a threat of violence, where children are in need of protection and family support)
• Juvenile matters
• Housing/Land matters
• Employment
• Wills/Probate
• Summary Advice
• Legal Education

• To provide legal advice, advocacy and representation, aided by private members of the Bar who would provide legal services at legal aid prices.
• To refer clients in need of counseling and other psychosocial services to various social agencies for e.g. Welfare Division, Women’s Bureau, National Children’s Home and Dominica National Council of Women.

Targeted Groups:

• Women
• Disabled
• Senior Citizens

Magistrates' Court/Magistracy
Functions of the Magistrate’s Court include:

• Dispensing of all criminal cases filed
• Dispensing of all civil cases filed
• Effective management of the operations of all Court sittings
• Filing and processing of all Court documents
• Enactment of revised Bail Act
• Preliminary hearing of indictable criminal matters, inquest and liquor license application

Meteorological Offices

Registry Department
Functions of the Registry include:

• Entering and filing of data received from hospitals and District Registrars
• Processing of State Lands
• Issuing of births, deaths, marriage and non-marriage certificates
• Registration of Records e.g. deeds, agreements
• Registration of Probates
• Registration and delivery of Certificates of Title
• Registration of Churches
• Completion of Criminal and Civil cases
• Registering of persons as citizens of Commonwealth of Dominica (this only applies to those born after November 3, 1978)