Justice Saunders to retire after 20 years at CCJ

Jun 03, 2025 News

—Court hosts special sitting in his honour

Kaieteur News- The Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) is set to host a ceremonial sitting to honour outgoing President Justice Adrian Saunders today.

According to a release from CCJ, the Court will convene a ceremonial sitting at Queen’s Hall, Port of Spain, Trinidad to honour the distinguished service of Saunders.

Justice Saunders to retire after 20 years at CCJ

Outgoing CCJ President Justice Adrian Saunders

The release noted that the sitting will commemorate Justice Saunders’ retirement from office after almost three decades of dedicated service to the Caribbean including 20 years at the CCJ, seven years of which he served as the Court’s third President. His tenure ends on 3 July 2025.

Reflecting on the occasion, Justice Saunders stated, ‘it is truly an honour to have served the people of the Caribbean for almost thirty years. Both at the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court and here at the CCJ, I have had the privilege of working alongside a distinguished panel of judges and a committed team of staff, all of whom share an unwavering dedication to justice, regional development, and institutional excellence.’

Mr. Justice Saunders is a native of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, and the first citizen of the Organisation of the Eastern Caribbean States to serve on the Bench. He began his judicial career in 1996 with his appointment to the High Court of the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court (ECSC). He was elevated to the Court of Appeal in 2003 and served as the acting Chief Justice between 2004 and 2005. During his tenure at the ECSC, he was deeply involved in judicial reform initiatives, including the introduction of court-connected mediation and the development of the Court’s first Judicial Code of Ethics.

In 1998, he earned a Fellowship of the Commonwealth Judicial Education Institute (CJEI). He was the Course Director of the CJEI’s Intensive Study Programme for several years and is currently one of the Institute’s Vice Presidents. Due to his active engagement in advancing judicial integrity, Justice Saunders was also appointed to serve on the Advisory Board of the Global Judicial Integrity Network by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime.

In 2005, Justice Saunders became one of the inaugural judges of the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ). He is a founding member of the Caribbean Association of Judicial Officers (CAJO) which provides judicial education for judicial officers throughout the region and served as the Association’s Chairman from its inception in 2009 to 2019. In 2018, he was appointed President of the CCJ and has served for approximately seven years, the maximum term allowed for Presidents of the Court.

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