What’s happening with CCJ?

The Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) has not done much work when it comes to death penalty matters. Justice Minister Hubert Volney was giving his views on the CCJ, which was established in T&T in 2005 as a last resort for the Caribbean region to replace the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council, which is still for most Commonwealth Caribbean jurisdictions the final court. It was during the debate of the Capital Offences Bill in Parliament on Friday Diego Martin Central MP Dr Amery Browne queried during his contribution what was happening with the CCJ and why no one was “upholding the CCJ as a hanging court.”

Yesterday, in response to Browne’s comments, Volney said: “No court would want to be a hanging court.” Volney said it was the “principles of law that decides how a decision is to be given.” He added that “the CCJ has not done much work when it comes to death penalty matters.” A former High Court Judge, Volney said the CCJ seems to be applying the law as has been the case with the Privy Council. “The Privy Council is the one to have certain inclinations, which is to really find innovative ways of denying the implementation of the death penalty by following the European way of things.”

Volney said the only way the position was likely to change is “if there is an assertion to the Caribbean Court of Appeal which does not follow the European thinking.” Volney said there may be a benefit for all in the way that the CCJ may think. “But that it just speculative in that they really have not had a chance to do many matters as yet on that issue.”