Trinidad and Tobago: Hangings could resume

HERALDING what she described as “a new dawn in this country’s legal history”, Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar yesterday announced her Government’s intention to table a bill to make the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) this country’s final criminal court, replacing the Privy Council’s criminal jurisdiction and in the process possibly clearing the way for the resumption of the death penalty.

The move to the CCJ as the final criminal court, which would require a special majority in the Parliament, yesterday looked set for a clear path toward implementation after Opposition Leader Dr Keith Rowley and senior members of the Independent benches of the Senate indicated their support in principle. The Government needs Opposition and Independent bench support in order to pass special majority legislation.

In a special statement in the House of Representatives yesterday afternoon, the Prime Minister expressed “immeasurable pride” at the move towards the CCJ but was careful to point out that the country would still maintain the civil jurisdiction of the Privy Council in a move to preserve investor confidence in the system of commercial litigation.

“In this year as we celebrate our 50th anniversary of independence this year, the time has surely come for us to review our relationship with the Privy Council,” Persad-Bissessar said.

“I am pleased to announce that the Government will be bringing legislation to this Honourable House to secure the abolition of appeals to the Privy Council in all criminal matters so that this jurisdiction would then be ceded to the Caribbean Court of Justice,” she told MPs gathered at the International Waterfront Centre, Wrightson Road, Port-of-Spain.

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Source: Trinidad and Tobago Newsday, April 26, 2012

Apr 27, 2012

Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar said the government will submit legislation to parliament to abolish appeals to the London-based Privy Council, the final court of appeal for former and current British territories in the ...

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