CCJ responds to allegations made in Trinidad newspaper

PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad (CMC) – President of the Trinidad-based Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ), Justice Winston Anderson, Friday condemned “in the strongest possible terms,” the unauthorised disclosure and publication of confidential material relating to the internal deliberations and confidential correspondence of the Court. In a statement, Justice Anderson said recent press reports and publications concerning the internal affairs of the CCJ “have understandably caused concern, anxiety and profound sadness, both within the institution and across the region”. READ: CCJ image at stake He said “this has been particularly distressing because the Caribbean Court of Justice is far more than a judicial institution.

It is the product of decades of blood, sweat and tears, by Caribbean people who believed that our region was capable of establishing and sustaining its own final court.” The Trinidad and Tobago Sunday Express newspaper last weekend reported that Justice Anderson, who had become the fourth CCJ president on July 6, 2025, had been accused by a majority of his fellow judges of governing the regional court in an “authoritarian” and “dictatorial” manner. The newspaper said that the complaints range from unilaterally imposing a judicial dress code to allegations of “panel fixing” and attempts to influence the outcome of cases. The disclosure by the newspaper has led to the Regional Judicial and Legal Services Commission (RJLSC) stating that it will conduct “a transparent and independent review” of the allegations made against Justice Anderson.

“The commission recognises the seriousness of these matters and the importance of addressing them in a manner that protects public trust and confidence in the court and the broader administration of justice throughout the Caribbean. “As a result, the RJLSC believes that these concerns are best addressed through the established internal governance mechanisms of the court and the commission, and through a transparent and independent review undertaken in the best interest of the region.” In a joint statement, the heads of the judiciary of Barbados, The Bahamas, Belize, Guyana, The Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court, Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago said that the CCJ “occupies a position of profound importance as a regional institution and within the regional judicial architecture”. The judicial leaders whose countries subscr…