(Trinidad Express) Several prominent attorneys are welcoming the announcement by Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar of Government’s intention to abolish appeals to the Privy Council in all criminal matters and, instead, have the matters determined by the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ).
Persad-Bissessar made the announcement during yesterday’s sitting of Parliament at Tower D of the International Waterfront Centre in Port of Spain.
Many proponents have argued, over the years, that Trinidad and Tobago should sever ties with the London-based Privy Council and accede to the jurisdiction of the CCJ which was established, in Port of Spain, in February 2001.
In a statement by its Public Education and Communications Unit, the CCJ said yesterday it welcomes the confidence of the Prime Minister in the Court.
President of the Law of Association of Trinidad and Tobago, Dana Seetahal SC, said the move has been long in coming.
“This is something that has been touted for the last ten years, at least, and it has been ironic that we here in Trinidad and Tobago house the Caribbean Court of Justice and have not made use of its services but continue to retain that last remnant of our colonial connection in the form of the Privy Council,” Seetahal said.
“I think it is something we should have done sometime ago and I commend the Government for taking this step. “In the last couple years, since England established its Supreme Court and they no longer have the House of Lords, they have not been as ready to entertain appeals as they used to be.
