00:00Prime Minister Kamlo Passat-Besessa has told TV6 News that the Caribbean Court of Justice, the CCJ, located in Port of Spain, will not be replacing the Privy Council as this country's final court of appeal for pellet jurisdiction.
00:13We reached out to the Prime Minister to get a response to a wish expressed by the Prime Minister Barbados Mia Motley during the opening ceremony of the 49th CARICOM Heads of Government meeting in Jamaica on Sunday to see a unified position among all CARICOM member states where the CCJ is concerned.
00:30And you will forgive me, having been the one who was the chair of the preparatory committee for the establishment of the Caribbean Court of Justice. You will forgive me if I now make yet another appeal to the citizens of this region to allow their governments to know that there ought to be a singular purpose for the Caribbean Court of Justice to be truly the last court of appeal for the states of this region.
00:57In Trinidad and Tobago, the CCJ is the final court of appeal in respect of the interpretation and application of the revised Treaty of Chagaramus.
01:06On its website, the CCJ notes that it serves as the final court of appeal in civil and criminal matters for those countries of CARICOM which are parties to the agreement and have acceded to the appellate jurisdiction.
01:19Trinidad and Tobago is among the CARICOM member states where the Privy Council in London is the final court of appeal with regard to appellate jurisdiction.
01:28TV6 News has sent a question to Prime Minister Passat-Besessa regarding Prime Minister Motley's statement to find out if the new Passat-Besessa administration plans to have the CCJ in Port of Spain replace the Privy Council as the final court of appeal for appellate matters.
01:46Prime Minister Passat-Besessa told TV6 News, quote, we will not be replacing the Privy Council, but I fully respect the right of all sovereign CARICOM nations to choose as they wish, end quote.
01:59So far, the CCJ is the final court of appeal for Barbados, Belize, Dominica, Guyana and St. Lucia.
Be the first to comment