Grenada on track to replacing Privy Council with Caribbean Court of Justice as final appellate court

The Grenada Parliament yesterday approved legislation for the island-nation to replace the London-based privy Council with the Trinidad & Tobago-based Caribbean Court of Justice as its final appellate court.

However, before Grenada could join Barbados, Belize, Dominica, and Guyana that have already made the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) their final court, the issue will have to go before its citizens in a referendum, the date for which has not yet been announced. However, it is most likely to be held by December this year.

The ruling New National party (NNP) of Prime Minister Keith Mitchell, which has a majority Parliament, passed the CCJ Bill, which is one of 8 pieces of legislation now before legislators for second and third readings.

The bills are part of the efforts to reform the country’s Constitution hat it received when it attained political independence from Britain in 1974.

Legal Affairs Minister Elvin Nimrod, who piloted the CCJ Bill, told legislators that when a country ratifies the CCJ agreement it automatically submits to the CCJ Original Jurisdiction, which has exclusive jurisdiction to interpret and apply the Revised Treaty of Chaguaramas that governs the 15-member regional integration grouping – the Caribbean Community (CARICOM).

Grenada ratified the CCJ agreement in 2011 and Nimrod said that while no constitutional change is needed for joining the CCJ in its Original jurisdiction, other measures are needed to join the Court in its Appellate Jurisdiction.

The Mitchell administration needs only a simple majority in the Senate to have the legislation approved. -(CMC)