Politics
Dominica to de-link from U.K. based privy council; to adopt Caribbean Court of Justice as final appellate Court
He believes the move will deepen integration and pave the way for other countries to become full members of the regional court.
“I believe this is good news for Dominica. It is good news for the OECS because we are the first country within the OECS to move to recognize the Caribbean Court of Justice. And it is also good for the Caribbean Community (CARICOM). It is our hope that the rest of the countries in CARICOM will move in that direction so all of us could finally recognize the Caribbean Court of Justice. And I believe it is a major step towards integration. It is a major indication of Dominica’s commitment towards regional integration and the recognition of the Caribbean institutions.”
“The Caribbean Court of Justice is an important instrument of integration and our own independence because we now have a court that has been designed by ourselves, managed by ourselves and of course indicate to the world that we are mature enough to handle our affairs in every facet of our development,” he said.
The Caribbean Court of Justice was established in 2001 as the region’s highest court. It has both an original and appellate jurisdiction, but while many Caribbean countries are signatories to the original jurisdiction, only Barbados, Guyana and Belize have signed on to the appellate jurisdiction.
In addition, the Caribbean Court of Justice serves as an international tribunal interpreting the Revised treaty of Chaguaramas that governs the 15-member CARICOM grouping. -(CMC)
