Caribbean Court of Justice wraps up Belize conference

On Monday, approximately one hundred and seventy-five members of the legal and business community attended a conference on the Caribbean Court of Justice. The event is part of an ongoing campaign by the administration of the C.C.J. to educate regional residents on the functioning of the court and its role in the CARICOM Single Market and Economy. At a press conference today the facilitators reported success.

Justice Adrian Saunders, C.C.J.
“Some presentations sparked animated responses. Some people were very keen on finding out more about the competition commission and there was a representation on that. There was also a presentation on the C.S.M.E., the courts relationship to the C.S.M.E. There were questions about the court’s appellate jurisdiction; that is the area of the court where we place the Privy Council for those who are interested in having us replace the Privy Council. There was a question about our approach to capital punishment. We hope to meet with the Prime Minister and with the Leader of the Opposition and with the Bar Association tomorrow.”

Michael de la Bastide, President, C.C.J.
“We are doing this because it has gotten to our attention that there is a good deal of misconception throughout the region about the relationship between member states and the court and vice versa. We think that the people within the courts have a right to know more about the court, to have accurate information about the court and in particular, to appreciate the potential which the court offers to help them get justice.”

While C.C.J. President Michael de la Bastide says he hopes governments and opposition leaders will begin to see the good sense of using the C.C.J. and unite to make it their final court of appeal. The team leaves the country on Thursday. The C.C.J. has held similar conferences in Barbados, Trinidad, and Jamaica.