Leaders of the sub-regional Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) are to decide, probably at their next meeting later this month, whether they will adopt the Trinidad-based Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) as their final court.
Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit said that Dominica is proposing that the sub-regional grouping must be united on the matter.
"Cabinet (here) has in fact already taken a decision to recognise the court in its final jurisdiction. As you know we have in fact recognised the court in its original jurisdiction. We are part of an OECS Supreme Court system and Dominica is concerned about moving forward alone or before any of the OECS countries," Skerrit said on the state-owned DBS radio.
The CCJ was established in 2001 to replace the London-based Privy Council as the region's final court. But while most of the Caribbean Community countries have signed on to its original jurisdiction, only Barbados, Guyana and Bermuda have signed on to the appellate jurisdiction of the court that also serves as an international tribunal interpreting the Revised Treaty of Chaguanarmas that governs the regional integration movement.
Skerrit said that he does not want a situation where "Dominica would have one court as its final jurisdiction and the rest of the OECS another court.
"That matter was discussed at the last OECS heads of government meeting in St Vincent, the decision is that we have to look at it and I believe, possibly at the next meeting of the OECS heads we will have to take a position on that as a collective.
"So once that decision is taken (and) if the decision is to move forward our request from Dominica's standpoint would be for us to take a collective decision to move forward together," Skerrit said.
The OECS leaders are expected to meet in St Lucia on June 28 to continue their deliberations started in St Vincent last month.
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