Jamaica Justice Minister Says the Final Court Should Be Jamaican, Not Caribbean
Jamaica justice minister Delroy Chuck says the final court of appeal should be Jamaican, not the Caribbean court. The Privy Council in London stays for now. The post Jamaica Justice Minister Says the Final Court Should Be Jamaican, Not Caribbean appeared first on The Rio Times .
Jamaica's Justice Minister Delroy Chuck has stated that the country's final court of appeal should be Jamaican, not the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ). In an interview with the Jamaica Observer on October 4th, Chuck ruled out the CCJ for now, preferring to maintain the Privy Council in London as the ultimate court of last resort.
He noted that there is a "general consensus" among most Jamaicans and within the government that the final court should be a Jamaican appellate court. Chuck dismissed the CCJ as "basically a part of a political system that doesn't exist", arguing that without a Caribbean political system, Jamaica cannot agree to it as its final court.
The CCJ's original jurisdiction, which handles disputes under the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) treaty, does not change his stance. Chuck reiterated that the Privy Council remains the court "we have been using and will continue to use" until Jamaicans agree on a final court. The dispute between the Jamaica Labour Party government and the opposition People's National Party (PNP) revolves around which court should be at the top of the legal system as Jamaica transitions to a republic.
The issue has been contentious, with the government urging MPs to reconsider the 2024 republic bill and accusing the opposition of using the CCJ as a tactic to delay constitutional reform.
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