Very few have access to Privy Council

MIA MOTTLEY, the Attorney General of Barbados, said yesterday that very few people in the Caribbean have access to the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council in London.

Mottley said that in 1998, the Privy Council heard 65 cases from 20 Commonwealth countries. Forty-six of these cases, according to the Barbados AG, came from the Caribbean. She revealed that thousands of cases were dealt with in the Caribbean, yet just a small portion reached England. “Access remains outside the legitimate reach of many people.  People simply cannot afford to go there despite them feeling they have a strong legitimate case. I don’t think any Government can allow this to continue.” Mottley was the main speaker at a consultation at the Crowne Plaza Ballroom to update the public on the proposed Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ).

Mottley, who is also Deputy Prime Minister of Barbados, said the CCJ will give access to a court which is based in Trinidad with power to go to each country in the region. This, she added, will bring justice to the doorstep of many litigants. Mottley assured the public that the CCJ will be independent. She pointed out that the nine judges of the court will be appointed by the Regional Judicial and Legal Service Commission. The President of the court will be appointed by the Commission — an appointment which must get the approval of 75 percent of the Heads of Government. Mottley said judges could be selected from among the 54 Commonwealth countries. At least three of the judges must have a track record in international law. The Barbados AG said there were very competent jurists in the Caribbean to sit on the CCJ. She said the region was rich in talent, singling out Karl Hudson-Phillips QC on his appointment to the International Criminal Court (ICC) and Justice Telesford Georges. “I want to know where this fear of the quality of our people is coming from?” she asked.