GOOD BYE: Belize abolishes all appeals to Privy Council

Prime Minister Dean Barrow.

BELMOPAN, Belize, CMC – The Belize government said Tuesday it would abolish all appeals to the London –based Privy Council from June 1 this year, effectively making the Trinidad-based Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) its final court.

A statement from the Office of the Prime Minister Dean Barrow said he said issued orders that bring into force the Belize Constitution (Seventh Amendment) Act and the Caribbean Court of Justice Act with effect from June 1, 2010.

The statement said the removal of the Privy Council and its replacement by the CCJ as the highest court for Belize “represents a major landmark in the constitutional and legal history of Belize.”

The government announcement stresses, that the move to the CCJ on June 1, will not affect any appeals pending before the Privy Council on May 31, 2010.

Belize now joins Guyana and Barbados as the only Caribbean Community (CARICOM) countries to sign on to both the appellate and original jurisdiction of the CCJ that was established in 2001.

The CCJ also acts as an international tribunal interpreting the Revised Treaty of Chaguaramas that established the Caribbean Community.

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1 Comment

  1. Mr. Independent
    May 13, 2010

    Colonialism has been a blow to us both physically and mentally. While our government and our parliament are all messed up. As an Independent People, I think it is best we do like Belize and Barbados and break that last remaining colonial link and hopefully in the long run things will fall into place….. The privy council wants to get rid of us any way and based on the elections in England last week…. their system seems also broken too……… SO NOW LABOR PARTY, WITH YOUR (18 + (- 1) + (-1) – (1),,,,,,,,,,,,, Now is the time to attempt to free us psychologically from our colonial chains.

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