The Central African Republic (CAR) has a civil law system based on the French model. The legal system is divided into two branches: administrative law and civil law. The highest court in the country is the Supreme Court, which is composed of two chambers: the Court of Cassation, which hears appeals from lower courts, and the Constitutional Council, which rules on the constitutionality of legislation and resolves conflicts between government branches.
The legal system also includes a number of specialized courts, such as the Court of State Security, which deals with cases relating to national security, and the High Court of Justice, which hears cases involving the president or other senior government officials.
The legal system is based on the French Code Civil, the Code Penal and other French laws, as well as on local statutes, regulations and customary law. The legal system is supported by a number of public and private institutions, including the Ministry of Justice, the National Bar Association and the Supreme Court.
The Central African Republic is a party to a number of international legal instruments, including the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the Convention on the Rights of the Child.