Attorneys-General and Presidents of Bar and Law Associations from the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Member States will meet in Saint Lucia on 16 August, 2000 to discuss the proposed Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ).
The one-day meeting will provide an opportunity for dialogue between the leaders of CARICOM and the legal profession on the Court that is proposed to replace the Privy Council in England.
More than 10 Bar and Law Associations are expected to be engaged in the dialogue which is expected to first focus on an overview of the draft instruments establishing the Court. Attorney General of Barbados, Hon. David Simmons, will take the lead in giving an overview of the structure and composition of the CCJ and the Judicial Services Commission. The Appellate Jurisdiction of the CCJ will then be addressed by Hon. A.J. Nicholson, Attorney-General of Jamaica, while CARICOM’s Legal Consultant, Duke Pollard, will look at the Original Jurisdiction.
The Financial Protocol of the Court will be dealt with by Saint Lucia’s Attorney General, Hon. Petrus Compton, who is also host of the deliberations which are expected to attract representation of the legal profession from Barbados, Antigua and Barbuda, the Bahamas, Grenada, Jamaica, Saint Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Trinidad and Tobago, Guyana, Dominica and Montserrat.
Coordinator of the Project Unit, Sheldon Mc Donald will tell the meeting about the privileges and immunities, and the Agreement establishing the Seat of the Court. The initial discussions will come to a close with a presentation on the Public Education Programme on the proposed Court before hearing presentations by country delegations and further deliberations on a range of issues relating to the implementation of the proposed regional legal institution.
A press conference is slated to follow conclusion of the meeting.
