August 15, 2026

CCJ President refutes claims of panel fixing

President of the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ), Justice Winston Anderson, has refuted claims of panel-fixing.

This is in the wake of allegations against him and his management of the CCJ, as published by a regional newspaper, based on information in leaked internal correspondence among CCJ judges.

In a lengthy statement yesterday, Justice Anderson condemned the unauthorised disclosure and publication of confidential material relating to the internal deliberations and correspondence of the court.

He said such disclosures and their publication are wholly unacceptable, adding that they erode public trust and confidence in the court.

As it relates to the claim of panel fixing, Justice Anderson said this is untrue.

It was claimed that panels of the court have been constituted or altered to secure a particular outcome in a case.

Justice Anderson said such an allegation strikes at the very heart of judicial independence and public confidence in the administration of justice.

The allegation stemmed from the changes made with a particular judge, due to issues with attire and nonconformity to the dress code.

Justice Anderson said the inferential leap required to elevate the issue of bench attire to an allegation of panel-fixing is irresponsible, intellectually dishonest, injudicious and quite simply, malevolent.

Accordingly, he rejects entirely the suggestion that panels of the court have been constituted or altered to secure predetermined outcomes.

He said such allegations are unsupported by the facts, inconsistent with the court’s long-established practices and contrary to the principles upon which the court has operated since its establishment.

Justice Anderson said going forward, every judge of the court will be required to sit on every panel, unless the judge opts out for a legitimate reason and is excused.