Last Wednesday, Sir Denis Byron, Chief Justice of the Caribbean Court of Justice, reiterated the need for Trinidad and Tobago to reconsider its position on seeking to adopt the Caribbean Court of Justice as its final court of appeal only for criminal appeals, while retaining the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council as the final court of appeal for civil matters.
T&T, like the other Caricom countries, is already using the original jurisdiction of the CCJ, but like the other members of Caricom outside of Barbados, Belize and Guyana, it has not signed on to the CCJ in its appellate jurisdiction.The primary argument that has been used by Sir Denis is that the region can complete its cycle of independence by removing the last remaining vestige of the colonial era, namely the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council.
This is indeed a faulty argument as both Sir Denis and his predecessor, Michael de la Bastide, were made members of Her Majesty's Privy Council in July 2004. Sir Denis continues to hold on to a title that is itself a vestige of the colonial era, namely his knighthood.Until such time as Sir Denis can relinquish his membership of Her Majesty's Privy Council and surrender his knighthood, it is difficult for him to call on any government to complete the cycle of their independence by giving up the very Privy Council to which he belongs.
http://www.guardian.co.tt/digital/new-members