King’s Counsel, Michael Hylton says even if the UK removes its visa requirement for people seeking to bring their appeal cases to the Privy Council, he’ll maintain the view that Jamaica should replace the British tribunal as its final court of appeal.
KC Hylton was a guest on Nationwide This Morning where he shared his perspectives on how recent declarations by the president of the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council, Lord Reed, would influence opinion in the debate over the status of the court.
Daina Davy reports.
Speaking via video link to an audience gathered at the Mona campus of the University of the West Indies on Wednesday, Lord Reed said he and his fellow Law Lords at the Privy Council, remain eager to serve Jamaica.
Lord Reed disclosed that he had asked the British government to invite senior judges from the jurisdictions that they serve to sit with them in an effort to understand the conditions of those countries from which appeal cases come.
He also addressed the criticism that the Privy Council was inaccessible and expensive for litigants in Jamaica.
Lord Reed noted that the tribunal has offered online hybrid hearings and have created accessibility to people by live streaming the proceedings.
But, KC Hylton says for important cases, this facilitation may not redound to the benefit of appellants and their attorneys.
KC Hylton says though there are efforts to makes changes, a fundamental problem still exists; the Privy Council is not a Jamaican court.
KC Hylton says his view that Jamaica should cut ties with the Privy Council wouldn’t change, even if the UK removes the visa requirements for persons wanting to travel to London to argue their case.
The matter of Jamaica’s final appellate court is expected to be settled in phase two of the nation’s ongoing constitutional reform process.
Credit: Source link