CCJ defends judicial integrity amid allegations of dissent among judges

In a statement to the Trinidad Sunday Express, the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) has reaffirmed its commitment to judicial independence, inte­grity and public confidence in the administration of justice, following allegations which the court says could be misunderstood or mischaracterised without the proper context.

In a statement to the newspaper  on Friday night, the apex court for Guyana and several other CARICOM nations  stressed that its judges remain gui­ded by the principles of the United Nations Bangalore Principles of Judicial Conduct and committed to delivering fair, accessible and efficient justice across the Caribbean Community.

The Sunday Express said that the statement did not specifically address the 15 questions sent by it to CCJ president Justice Winston Anderson last Wednesday, seeking a response to allegations made by several judges. Instead, it was issued on Friday.

Following is the full text of the statement as carried by the Sunday Express:

“The Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ/Court) is the regional judicial tribunal established on 14 February 2001 by the Agreement Establishing the Caribbean Court of Justice.

The CCJ has an Original and an Appellate Jurisdiction and is effectively, therefore, two courts in one. In its Original Jurisdiction, the Court serves 12 Caricom Member States and is the only court vested with the authority to interpret and apply the Revised Treaty of Chaguaramas (RTC).

In its Appellate Jurisdiction, the CCJ is the final court of appeal for criminal and civil matters for those countries in the Caribbean that have amended their national Constitutions to enable the CCJ to perform that role.

The Court is mindful that questions and allegations presented without the benefit of context, background, or an appreciation of the nature of judicial deliberations, collegial discussions, and institutional governance may lend themselves to misunderstanding or mischaracterisation.

For that reason, the Court wishes to reaffirm that the Judges of the Caribbean Court of Justice remain committed to the tenets of judicial conduct enshrined in the United Nations Bangalore Principles of Judicial Conduct—independence, impartiality, integrity, propriety, equality, competence, and diligence.

Maintaining public confidence in the Court is fundamental to uphol­ding the rule of law and preserving trust in the administration of justice. The Caribbean Court of Justice remains committed to providing accessible fair and efficient justice for the people and states of the Caribbean Community.”