House will pass amendment on Privy Council

It began as a general feeling of discontent, was eventually taken up by the politicians and will shortly be expressed as the law of the land. That law is a constitutional amendment, which will abolish the appellate jurisdiction of the Privy Council in cases of Class “A” murder. The amendment will be presented at a special sitting of the House of Representatives on Friday and will lie on the table for a mandatory ninety days before its final passage. When that happens, the Belize Court of Appeal will become the court of last resort for convicted capital murderers… at least until the Caribbean Court of Justice is established. Under the amendment the National Assembly is authorised to designate another body as the highest court, and government has already signalled its acceptance of the C.C.J. The introduction of the constitutional amendment follows increasingly vocal public disapproval of recent decisions by the Privy Council, which have gradually narrowed the ability of the justice system to impose the death penalty for the crime of murder. While many viewers hope to see a murderer swing from the gallows as soon as possible, they should note that the change will apply only to those killers convicted after the amendment is passed. And even then, there is no guarantee that the Court of Appeal, or any court that replaces it, will necessarily see things any differently than their colleagues in London.