The Legal Affairs Committee (LAC) of the Caribbean Community has called on the Preparatory Committee for the Establishment of the Caribbean Court of Justice to put in place the necessary mechanism needed to have the Agreement establishing the Court implemented.
This was with the view to having the Court inaugurated by no later than October 2002. This was one of the major decisions emanating from the Fifth Ordinary Meeting of the LAC which was held in Port-of-Spain, Trinidad and Tobago, from November 28-30, 2001.
In order that the delivery of justice at the primary judicial level be enhanced in tandem with the establishment of the Caribbean Court of justice (CCJ), it was agreed that the Secretariat use its best endeavours to mobilise resources from the Donor Community.
The Meeting requested the Secretariat to engage a Consultant prepare a draft model legislation to facilitate delinking from the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council and emplace the CCJ in both its Appellate and Original jurisdictions.
It was recalled at the Meeting that the Agreement establishing the CCJ requires the deposit of three instruments of ratification for its entry into force and noteworthy was the fact that Barbados, Belize, Guyana and Trinidad and Tobago have indicted their strong desire to take steps to immediately ratify the Agreement.
It was agreed that the Draft elements and other details pertaining to the trust Fund should be prepared for consideration at the next Special meeting of the Legal Affairs Committee (LAC).
The Meeting endorsed the proposed workshops for the State Sector Stakeholder in Member States and the Symposia for the non-State Sector Stakeholder and the publication by the Project Coordinating Unit and the Communications Unit. The booklet titled Issues and Perspectives of the CCJ.
The inextricable linkage between the entry into force of the provisional application of the Revised Treaty of Chaguaramas and the entry into force of the Agreement Establishing the CCJ was noted along with the fact that the building housing the temporary Seat of the Court was in a state of readiness.
