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PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad, CMC – Jamaican jurist Dr. Chantal Ononaiwu has been appointed as the new judge of the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) in Trinidad.
She is expected to take office in October.
The appointment was confirmed by the Regional Judicial and Legal Services Commission (RJLSC), the independent body responsible for recruiting staff and judges for the CCJ.
She fills the vacancy left by the early retirement of Judge Jacob Wit (leaving office December 31, 2023).
Witt died on January 16 of this year.
Judge Adrian Saunders, President of the CCJ, said: “The RJLSC prides itself on a competitive, merit- and experience-based, highly independent recruitment process. Every appointment reflects our unwavering commitment to selecting the best people, based solely on their expertise, integrity and dedication to justice.”
“During the recruitment process, we received applications from The Bahamas, United Kingdom, Canada, Nigeria, Dominica, Jamaica, Sri Lanka, Suriname and Trinidad and Tobago. From the applications received, four candidates (three females and one male) were shortlisted for further consideration and subsequently interviewed in person by the full Commission in Port of Spain. This process ensures that our Tribunal continues to be a beacon of fairness and excellence, with the highest professionalism and impartiality,” he added.
Ononaiu has over 20 years of experience as a lawyer specializing in Caribbean Community (CARICOM) law and international law, including international trade law, and has extensive legal experience as an adjudicator, litigator, legal consultant and university lecturer.
“In addition to his international trade law experience, Ononaiwu also has expertise in commercial law, having worked in the international business and financial services sectors as Director of Value Proposition Development at Invest Barbados.
“She also serves as Vice-Chair of the International Chamber of Commerce’s Digital Standards Initiative Law Reform Advisory Committee. Additionally, at the start of her legal career, Ononaiwu served as Legal Advisor to the Constitutional and Legislative Affairs Department of the Attorney General’s Office in Jamaica,” the CCJ said in a statement on Friday.
She is said to have lectured on international trade and investment law, public international law and criminal law at the University of the West Indies.
Her academic work includes publications in the areas of international trade law, investment law, public international law and constitutional law.
Ononaiwu most recently served as CARICOM’s Director of External Trade, responsible for coordinating the organization’s external trade policy.
In this capacity, she advised CARICOM and its member States on international trade and investment issues and served as the Community’s negotiator in the negotiation of international trade agreements.
She also has experience as an international trade adjudicator, having served on panels adjudicating World Trade Organization disputes.
The Rhodes Scholar holds a Doctor of Laws degree from Oxford University, a Master of Laws degree from Cambridge University, a Bachelor of Laws degree (First Class Honours) from the University of the West Indies, and a Certificate of Merit in Legal Education from Norman Manley Law School.
The RJLSC is currently recruiting additional judges, including a replacement for Justice Sanders, who will retire in 2025, as its president. (Jamaica Gleaner)
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