Prime Minister of Belize Lauds Appointment of Jamaican As President of CCJ

Prime Minister of Belize, Hon. John Briceno, has lauded the appointment of the Hon. Mr. Justice Winston Anderson, a Jamaican, as President of the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ), describing him as “a jurist whose professional career highlights him as one who has always pushed the envelope”.

Speaking at the swearing-in ceremony held on Sunday (July 6) at the Jewel Grande Resort in Montego Bay, St. James, Prime Minister Briceno said the occasion marked “a momentous time for our region, for our people, and for justice”.

He argued that Justice Anderson’s contributions to Caribbean legal development are well established.

“Do a review of the successes, achievements and perennial initiatives of the Court in the first 20 years and you will see the print and influence of Justice Anderson in them, particularly the path-breaking work of the CCJ Academy of Law, for which you have been hailed by the Court as the driving force behind,” Mr. Briceno said.

Highlighting Justice Anderson’s connection to Belize, he outlined that the President did his in-service training for his new post in that country.

“Last year September, as Acting President, he was doing the work of the academy in Belize and was a keynote speaker at the Criminal Justice Reform Conference,” Mr. Briceno pointed out.

He also expressed confidence in Justice Anderson’s ability to lead the Court into its next chapter.

“We have every confidence that President Anderson will continue the tradition of excellence of the Court. No doubt, given his track record, he has already had an impressive plan to further enhance the CCJ and surpass what we all thought were unmatched successes of his predecessor,” he added.

Prime Minister Briceno paid tribute to outgoing President, Adrian Saunders, from St. Vincent and the Grenadines, who has the distinction of being the longest-serving judge of the court, “being the youngest of the inaugural appointees back in 2005”.

He acknowledged Justice Saunders’ transformative leadership since assuming the Presidency in 2018.

“President Saunders continued in the vein of his predecessors, transforming and further modernising the court,” he said.