In Saint Lucia, constitutional amendment to join CCJ up for second reading in new year

A significant piece of legislation aimed at consolidating Saint Lucia’s status as an independent nation will be debated in parliament in the New Year. The Constitution Amendment Bill, which will lay the legal framework for membership of the Appellate Jurisdiction of the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ), will come up for seconding reading. This will be another major step in the ongoing process through which Saint Lucia terminates its obligations to the British-based Privy Council as the court for final decisions on criminal and civil cases. The Government of Saint Lucia, via exchange of correspondence, has already obtained the agreement of the Government of the United Kingdom to de-link from the Privy Council and join the CCJ’s Appellate Jurisdiction, which at present includes Barbados, Belize, Dominica and Guyana. Pursuant to the procedure laid out in the Constitution, Prime Minister, Hon. Philip J Pierre, on 11th October, 2022, laid the Constitution Amendment Bill for first reading in the House of Assembly. The Bill is awaiting its second reading, which is due by the second week of January 2023, in compliance with the minimum 90-day interval between the first and second readings ordered by the Constitution. Accession to the CCJ’s Appellate Jurisdiction will require a number of amendments to the Saint Lucia Constitution, specifically the provisions of the Supreme Court Order which requires the votes of not less than three-quarters of all the members of the House. [...] Saint Lucia already has an organic association with the CCJ, having acceded, along with 11 other CARICOM Member States, to the Original Jurisdiction of the Court in February 2001. Saint Lucia also paid its one-time subscription around that time.
Read the full article here: Government of Saint Lucia