The National Newspaper of St. Vincent and the Grenadines
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FRIDAY,
JULY 27, 2018
VOLUME 112, No.30
www.thevincentian.com
EC$1.50
Judges of the CCJ along with the Chief Justices of Jamaica and the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court during the Ceremonial Sitting.
PRIME MINISTER DR. RALPH GONSALVES is hoping that the elevation of Vincentian-born Adrian Saunders to President of the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) could be a catalyst for St. Vincent and the Grenadines to become the next country to accede to the CCJ in its Appellate Jurisdiction. “I hope that today this could be a catalyst for our Parliament,” the Prime Minister told a packed upper floor of the High Court building, Justice Adrian Saunders, President CCJ in his address at the Special Sitting in St. Vincent, stated inter alia that it was his “..fervent hope that, in the months ahead, we in St Vincent and the Grenadines will reflect on this issue of the continued retention of the British Privy Council to hear our final appeals.”
Friday, July 20, during a Special Sitting, albeit ceremonial, of the CCJ to mark Justice Saunders’ elevation. The historic quest to forge a home-grown constitution jolted to an abrupt halt November 25, 2009, when Vincentians, in a referendum, voted against constitutional reform. The proposed constitution had made provisions for this country to replace the Privy Council by the CCJ as its final Court of Appeal, through a majority vote in Parliament. Gonsalves pointed out that a referendum was no longer required; all that was needed now was a two-thirds majority in parliament. This was made possible following the passage of the Continued on Page 3.