More people seeking justice at CCJ

Dennis Byron

While a number of high-ranking, seasoned attorneys have appeared before the bench in recent years, statistically senior counsels have been outnumbered by their lesser peers.  There has also been a considerable increase in cases being elevated to the CCJ.  In April, the case involving the illegal and discriminatory termination of six employees of Mayan King was also moved up to the CCJ following an initial victory and damages awarded to the workers by Justice Samuel Awich in 2009.  That was heard in a special sitting in Barbados on April ninth and attorneys Eamon Courtenay for Mayan King and Antoinette for the disgruntled employees, made the trip to present their arguments. Judgment has been reserved.   Nonetheless, according to Byron, the rise in cases suggests that more people are seeking justice at the highest judicial level.

Rt. Hon. Justice Dennis Byron

“In our appellate jurisdiction, between July 2005 and June 2012, ninety-four matters have been tried.  From Barbados there have been fifteen applications for special leave to appeal, eleven civil appeals and six criminal appeals.  From Guyana there have been twenty-three applications for special leave to appeal, twenty-seven civil appeals and one criminal appeal.  And between July [2010] when Belize joined the appellate jurisdiction of the court, between July 2010 and June twenty-second, from Belize there have been six applications for leave to appeal and five civil appeals.  Now another interesting statistic which I carved out of the records we have is that the number of senior counsels appearing before the CCJ in these matters has been forty-five and the number of junior counsels, a hundred and thirty.  The number of appeals indicate beyond doubt that there has been an increase in appeals to the final court in those countries which have acceded to the CCJ.  This indicates that ordinary folks now have additional scope and opportunity to be heard and to obtained justice.”