Saint Lucia’s Minister for Home Affairs, Justice and National Security has joined Grenada’s Prime Minister in voicing disappointment at the results of a referendum to allow Grenada to join the Trinidad-based Caribbean Court of Justice as that island’s final court.

Grenadians voted, for a second time within a two-year period, to reject efforts to replace the London-based Privy Council as the island’s highest court.

Sen. Hon. Hermangild Francis believes the time is right for Caribbean nations to embrace the CCJ as their appellate court, as doing so will define how the region governs itself.

Founded April 16, 2005, the CCJ, determines appeals in both civil and criminal matters from courts within the jurisdictions of Member States of CARICOM. However, some member states are still to implement the Agreement establishing the CCJ as the final Court of Appeal, Saint Lucia included.

The CCJ serves as the highest Court of Appeal on civil and criminal matters for the national courts of Barbados, Belize and Guyana.

Meantime, the OECS Heads of Government have agreed to examine a critical aspect of the CCJ for adaptation at the OECS Supreme Court. The CCJ is funded through an independent Trust Fund and OECS leaders at the recent Authority meeting considered establishing a similar system for financing the Supreme Court. Prime Minister of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and Chairman of the OECS Authority, Dr. Ralph Gonsalves, said such a fund would ensure the continuity of the Supreme Court.

The Caribbean Court of Justice Trust Fund was developed to ensure the financial independence of the Court from political interference. It was established with US$100,000,000 from initial contributions of the member states by way of loans from the Caribbean Development Bank. The income from the fund is expected to finance the expenditures of the Court and is administered by a Board of Trustees drawn from various regional bodies.