Criminal Code Ordinance 2026 and Courts and Criminal Procedure Ordinance 2026: commencement, the Magistrates' Court and places of custody

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN under section 1 of the Criminal Code Ordinance 2026 and section 1 of the Courts and Criminal Procedure Ordinance 2026 that:

1. The Criminal Code Ordinance 2026 (No. 12 of 2026) and the Courts and Criminal Procedure Ordinance 2026 (No. 13 of 2026), made by the President on the advice of the Transitional Council on 29 September 2026, come into force on 1 October 2026.
2. The Magistrates' Court is established under section 5 of the Courts and Criminal Procedure Ordinance 2026 and sits at the Government Complex, Puerto Coral, at times directed by the Chief Justice. Correspondence for the Magistrates' Court, the Island Court and the Court of Appeal is addressed in writing to the Court Registry, Government Complex, Puerto Coral.
3. Under section 47 of the Courts and Criminal Procedure Ordinance 2026, and until a prison is established on Coral Island, the places of custody designated by the Minister responsible for public safety are the custody facilities in Los Santos made available under arrangements with the Los Santos authorities. A person remanded in custody or sentenced to imprisonment by a court of Coral Island is held there.
4. Where an ordinance or legal notice creates an offence and states no penalty, the offence is triable summarily only and, from 1 October 2026, is punishable by a fine not exceeding level 4 on the standard scale ($2,500), or by imprisonment for 3 months, or by both, under section 16 of the Criminal Code Ordinance 2026. This applies to the offences in the Border Security and Airspace Ordinance 2026, the Gaming and Casino Control Ordinance 2026, the Business Licensing Ordinance 2026, the Public Order and Events Ordinance 2026, the Reef and Marine Parks Ordinance 2026, the Ports and Moorings Ordinance 2026 and the Civil Aviation (Entry and Landing) Regulations 2026.
5. Under section 4 of the Criminal Code Ordinance 2026, nothing done before 1 October 2026 is an offence under the Code, and no person is punished more heavily than the law allowed at the time of the act.
6. The appointments of the Chief Justice, the judges of the Island Court, the Justices of Appeal, the magistrates, the Registrar of the Courts and the members of the Advisory Committee on the Prerogative of Mercy will be made by instrument published in the Gazette.