Parliament Approves Saint Lucia’s Accession to Caribbean Court of Justice
(Office of the Prime Minister of Saint Lucia) The appellate jurisdiction of the Caribbean Court of Justice is now Saint Lucia’s final appeals court.
Prime Minister Hon. Philip J. Pierre has completed Saint Lucia’s more than 20 year’s long journey to join the appellate jurisdiction of the Caribbean Court of Justice as our final appeals court for civil and criminal appeals.
The Prime Minister has secured the support of the majority of our Lower House of Parliament to finally move away from Britain’s Privy Council to accede to the appellate jurisdiction of the CCJ. Having the CCJ as Saint Lucia’s final appeals court will eliminate the cost prohibitive fees associated with the Privy Council and make justice more accessible and more affordable for Saint Lucian citizens.
Saint Lucia moving towards accession to
CCJ appellate jurisdiction – His Excellency Cyril Errol Melchiades Charles, Acting Governor-General of Saint Lucia in Throne Speech 2022 pic.twitter.com/QiYP6JOxAc— CARICOM Secretariat (@CARICOMorg) March 30, 2022
About the Caribbean Court of Justice
Headquartered in Trinidad and Tobago, the Court has two jurisdictions, an Appellate Jurisdiction and an Original Jurisdiction. In its Appellate Jurisdiction, the Court serves as the final court of appeal in civil and criminal matters for those countries of the Caribbean Community which are parties to the Agreement and have acceded to the appellate jurisdiction. In its Original Jurisdiction, the Court is a court of first instance which applies rules of international law in respect of the interpretation and application of the Revised Treaty of Chaguaramas.
At present, the Court receives cases in its Appellate Jurisdiction from Barbados, Belize, Dominica and Guyana. In the Original Jurisdiction, the Court receives cases from the twelve Contracting Parties to the Agreement Establishing the Court. Decisions of the CCJ in both its Appellate Jurisdiction and its Original Jurisdiction are final.
Source: CARICOM TODAY