(Demerara Waves) – Prominent Guyanese attorney Nigel Hughes on Wednesday cautioned that investigating and removing the president of the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) is a complex process that cannot be done merely by a review, but by the triggering of a probe by at least three Caribbean Community (CARICOM) leaders.
Mr Hughes said that, for the sake of the independence and integrity of the Trinidad-headquartered CCJ, he believes that three or more regional leaders should invoke provisions of the agreement establishing the regional court to address the “grave” allegations.
“If true, they go to the heart of the Court’s integrity,” he said in a Facebook post.
The establishment agreement provides for at least three CARICOM leaders to represent, jointly, to other regional leaders that the question of removing the CCJ president from office ought to be investigated, then the Heads of Government shall establish a tribunal.
“The Caribbean public is entitled to an independent tribunal inquiry conducted by senior judges, not to political posturing or institutional paralysis. The CCJ belongs to the people of the Caribbean. Its credibility depends on the rule of law being applied to its leaders with the same rigour it is applied to everyone else.,” Mr Hughes said.
