AG calls ruling on judicial review law ‘premature’

Basil Williams

Attorney-General Basil Williams yesterday called Chief Justice Roxane George’s ruling ordering him to bring the long-delayed Judicial Review Act (JRA) into force by the end of July “premature,” while signalling a possible challenge at the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ).

In a press statement issued yesterday, Williams claimed that the decision of the Court raises some important questions regarding governance and the separation of powers between the executive arm of the government and the judiciary, which had been raised during the arguments in the case.

In her ruling on Monday, Justice George found that Williams, who is also the Minister of Legal Affairs, had a duty to have already brought the legislation, which is intended to work in tandem with the Civil Procedure Rules (CPR), into effect.