St Lucia votes for CCJ, Jamaica will table legislation this year

Thursday, November 20, 2003

CASTRIES, St Lucia and KINGSTON, Jamaica: By a 17-0 vote in the island's House of Assembly, St Lucia has voted to join the new Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ). This follows similar moves in Guyana, Barbados and Belize, which have already approved legislation to join the new court.

In Jamaica, Prime Minister P. J. Patterson has said that the requisite laws to allow for the establishment of the CCJ are to be tabled in Parliament and debated by the end of this calendar year.

"It is necessary for all Parliaments to pass legislation to enable the CCJ to come into being. Our Cabinet has approved that draft legislation and it will be tabled in Parliament for debate before the end of this calendar year, with the expectation that the requisite legislation will be passed in all Parliaments no later than January 2004," the Prime Minister said. 

Meanwhile, the Board of Trustees to administer the funds of the CCJ is now in force, also the Regional Judicial and Legal Services Commission, except for the President of the Court, who will be the Chairman of the Commission.

Mr. Patterson, who is also Chairman of CARICOM, explained that the Commission would be recruiting the President of the Court. He said that the post and job description would be advertised in the 54 Commonwealth countries. 

He explained that this is being done, because "we want to secure the best available Counsel to be President of the Court".

The Prime Minister said that when the President of the Court is recruited, he or she would then become Chairman of the Regional Judicial and Legal Services Commission, and the Commission would proceed to recommend the appointment of the remaining judges.

On funding of the Court, Mr. Patterson said that the Caribbean Development Bank "has assured us that from the enquiries that it has received from financial groups, it is extremely confident that it is going to raise the capital of US$100 million to fund the Court." 

When established, the CCJ will replace the Privy Council in the United Kingdom, as the final Court of Appeal.

Speaking in St Lucia's parliament, Prime Minister Kenny Anthony described the Privy Council as "a constitutional relic."

"Why on earth should we compel the British to maintain the Privy Council when the British have said to us time and time again to take your bundle and go?" Anthony said.

He said no independent people should give up the right to make decisions for themselves, and that former colonies should not depend on British taxpayers to pay for British judges to hear their cases.

The Privy Council has frustrated some Caribbean leaders in recent years by rulings that block executions.

Brushing aside concerns expressed by some that the new court could be vulnerable to political interference, Anthony said the Caribbean Community had "bent over backwards to insulate the Court from political pressures." 

  Back...

  Most popular articles: viewed, printed and e-mailed

  Printable version