Amid COVID-19 pandemic: CCJ heard 55 cases in fully virtual courtroom

During its 2020/2021 court term, many challenges were created by the COVID-19 pandemic, but the
Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) continued to provide uninterrupted service to the region with the holding of 55 hearings in its fully virtual courtroom from its Trinidad and Tobago headquarters.

The regional court opened its new court term 2021/2022 on Monday, and its President, Justice Adrian Saunders, issued a statement that summarises the work of the court and how it impacted the citizens of the Caribbean Community (Caricom).
Justice Saunders noted that, despite challenges created by the COVID-19 pandemic, the CCJ continued to provide uninterrupted service to the region, holding 55 hearings in its fully virtual courtroom.
He also noted that, in the past year, the first-ever case initiated by one Caricom member state against another was filed in the court’s Original Jurisdiction.
Apart from its judicial work, the President also highlighted some of the other noteworthy deliverables completed by the CCJ during the past court year.
According to Justice Saunders, this includes the finalisation of the Judicial Discipline Regulations to accompany the revised Judicial Code of Conduct which was adopted in 2020, as well as the implementation of a Monitoring and Evaluation Framework to measure the progress of the execution of the court’s five-year strategic plan.
In keeping with its strategic goal of supporting the regional justice system, the CCJ, as the executing agency for the Canadian-funded Judicial Reform and Institutional Strengthening (JURIST) Project, also
supported the implementation of several initiatives, such as business continuity plans for courts, case flow management, court administration, and the procurement of ICT equipment to enhance the delivery of justice across the region.
Additionally, through a partnership with affiliates such as the CCJ Academy for Law (CAL), Caribbean Association of Judicial Officers (CAJO), and the UN’s Global Judicial Integrity Network, the CCJ also assisted with the rollout of legal and judicial education programmes throughout the region and beyond.
Acknowledging that despite these successes there is still more work to be done, the CCJ President asserted, “…we shall continue, fearlessly as always, to advance the rule of law in the region. We shall always protect the rights of the people, and we shall strengthen the legal framework underpinning the Caricom Single Market and Economy.”
The President also urged citizens of the region to learn more about the Court, and how it serves the region. He affirmed, “The CCJ is your Court, and we believe all citizens of Caricom must know how their court works and how what we do impacts on you.”
The CCJ was inaugurated in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago on April 16, 2005, and presently has a Bench of seven judges presided over by the President.
The CCJ has an Original and an Appellate Jurisdiction, and is therefore effectively two courts in one. In its Original Jurisdiction, it is an international court with exclusive jurisdiction to interpret and apply the rules set out in the Revised Treaty of Chaguaramas (RTC) and to decide disputes arising under it.
The RTC established the CARICOM and the CSME. In its Original Jurisdiction, the CCJ is critical to the CSME and all 12 member states which belong to the CSME (including their citizens, businesses, and governments) can access the court’s Original Jurisdiction to protect their rights under the RTC.
In its Original Jurisdiction, the CCJ decides on issues related to the CSME, such as freedom of movement, labour, goods and service, capital, and establishment.
In its Appellate Jurisdiction, the CCJ is the final court of appeal for criminal and civil matters for those countries in the Caribbean that altered their national constitutions to enable the CCJ to perform that role.
At present, four states access the Court in its Appellate Jurisdiction, these being Barbados, Belize, Dominica, and Guyana. However, by signing and ratifying the Agreement establishing the CCJ, member states of Caricom have demonstrated a commitment to making the CCJ their final court of appeal.
The CCJ is the realisation of a vision of our ancestors, an expression of independence, and a signal of the region’s coming of age.