Dear Editor,
There are discussions in Guyana that in the coming months the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) will be very busy hearing appeals from Exxon, the oil giant, which is now engaged in massive oil exploration in Guyana… these debates came as the regional apex court welcomed its fifth member in the Appellate Jurisdiction. St Lucia joined last Tuesday as the final instrument was signed after several months of intense scrutiny by government officials, the Privy Council will no longer hear appeals from that Caribbean island which joined with Guyana, Barbados, Belize and the Commonwealth of Dominica to abolish appeals to the London based Court.
The CCJ so far has an excellent track record in its scholastic and sound judgments. However, a Guyanese born barrister who has been practising in the UK for three decades said that the CCJ judges will face serious challenges in the coming years since a large number of legal issues will arise between the Guyana government and the oil exploration giant. Exxon has at its disposal a large number of top legal experts and the Irfaan Ali/Bharrat Jagdeo administration will have to step up to the plate and seek the services of lawyers who can challenge Exxon legal experts and prevent a David and Goliath atmosphere.
The CCJ has dealt with several important and challenging cases from Guyana including the chairmanship of the Elections Commission, 33 is the majority of 65, the no confidence motion etc., In fact most of the appeals dealt with by the CCJ in the 17 years of the Court emanated from Georgetown. Meanwhile it seems as if Trinidad and Tobago is reconsidering the possibility of joining the Court. In fact, that twin island republic was in the forefront of the establishment of the Court, hence the reason why Port of Spain was chosen as its headquarters.
Sincerely,
Oscar Ramjeet