By Breaking Belize News Staff: The heads of several Caribbean judiciaries, including Belize, have expressed “grave concern” over the leak of internal communications from the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ), amid reports of significant disagreements among judges of the regional court.
In a joint statement, the heads of judiciary of Barbados, The Bahamas, Belize, Guyana, the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court, Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago said they have taken note of recent reports concerning internal correspondence and matters relating to the administration and functioning of the CCJ.
The judicial leaders said they would not comment on the merits of statements or allegations attributed to individual judges, or on the Court’s internal deliberative and administrative processes. They nevertheless expressed serious concern over the apparent breach of confidentiality that resulted in internal communications being disclosed publicly.
The statement follows reports, first published by the Trinidad Express, based on leaked emails said to reveal disagreements between five of the CCJ’s six sitting judges and CCJ President Justice Winston Anderson. The reported allegations include concerns about Anderson’s management style, judicial decision-making and changes to panels hearing cases. No independent finding has established the allegations as fact. (News Room Guyana)
The CCJ has defended the independence and integrity of the Court, cautioning that allegations concerning judicial deliberations and institutional governance could be misunderstood when presented without their full context. (News Room Guyana) The Guyana Bar Association has also condemned the unauthorised disclosure of the correspondence while declining to take a position on the substance of the matters contained in it. (Ignite News)
The regional judiciary heads reaffirmed their confidence in the CCJ, describing it as a vital regional institution and stressing that its authority depends on public confidence in the independence, impartiality, integrity and competence of its judges. They also reaffirmed their commitment to protecting the institutional integrity of the Court and maintaining public trust in the region’s judicial systems.
The post Belize and regional judiciary heads back CCJ; raise grave concern over leaked internal communications appeared first on Belize News and Opinion on www.breakingbelizenews.com.
By Breaking Belize News Staff: The heads of several Caribbean judiciaries, including Belize, have expressed “grave concern” over the leak of internal communications from the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ), amid reports of significant disagreements among judges of the regional court. In a joint statement, the heads of judiciary of Barbados, The Bahamas, Belize, Guyana,
The post Belize and regional judiciary heads back CCJ; raise grave concern over leaked internal communications appeared first on Belize News and Opinion on www.breakingbelizenews.com.
