Jamaica to re-evaluate position on CCJ

The Prime Minister Bruce Golding has given the clearest indication that the Government could re-consider making the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) Jamaica’s final appellate body.



He made the suggestion last night during a town hall meeting at the University of the West Indies, Mona.



At present only Barbados and Guyana use the CCJ as their final appeals court.



The Bruce Golding Administration had consistently opposed a similar move.



In fact the reservations dates back to the period when Bruce Golding was in Opposition.



His Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) was wary of the CCJ, because it believed that there could be political interference in the administration of the Court.



According to Mr Golding there were several other concerns, but he says it’s now time to review the Government’s stance against the CCJ as Jamaica’s final court.



The London-based Privy Council is currently Jamaica’s final court of appeal and that of most CARICOM countries.



But in recent weeks there has been heightened anxiety about that relationship since the utterance of Lord Nicholas Phillips, the president of the United Kingdom Supreme Court.



Speaking on the cusp of the inauguration of Britain\'s first Supreme Court Lord Phillips had said too many of the United Kingdom’s top Privy Council judges were being bogged down with cases from former colonies



These include Jamaica and other CARICOM countries.

The new UK Supreme Court last week replaced the Privy Council as the final court of appeal for all civil and criminal cases in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.