Dr. Arif Bulkan joins CCJ bench

Oct 17, 2025 News

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– third Guyanese to reach Caribbean’s highest court

By Renay Sambach

(Kaieteur News) – In a moment of national pride, distinguished jurist Dr. Christopher Arif Bulkan was on Thursday sworn in as a Judge of the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ), becoming the third Guyanese ever to sit on the region’s highest judicial body.

The ceremony took place at the Office of the President before President Dr. Irfaan Ali, CCJ President Justice Winston Anderson, Acting Chancellor Justice Roxane George, Prime Minister Brigadier (Ret’d) Mark Phillips, Director of Public Prosecutions Shalimar Ali-Hack, and several senior officials. Justice Bulkan’s appointment also coincides with his 35th anniversary at the Bar, marking a milestone in a career that has spanned academia, advocacy, and the regional judiciary. He follows in the footsteps of Justices Desiree Bernard and Duke E. Pollard as Guyana’s representatives on the CCJ bench.

In his address, Justice Bulkan expressed deep gratitude to his mother, siblings, and all those who supported him throughout his career. He said that over the past 35 years, he has benefited from the “advice, support, mentorship and camaraderie” of many colleagues.

To repay that support, Justice Bulkan said his focus will be on the quality of his work going forward. “Be assured ladies and gentlemen and all the people in the region, that I am committed to performing my functions with competence, efficiency and unwavering integrity,” he stated.

Justice Bulkan was selected by the Regional Judicial and Legal Services Commission (RJLSC), the independent body responsible for appointing judges to the CCJ.  Justice Bulkan’s appointment follows the vacancy created by the elevation of Justice Winston Anderson to the presidency of the Court on July 4, 2025.

Justice Bulkan reflected, “Today’s swearing in as a judge of the CCJ is deeply meaningful for me, not because of any sense of personal accomplishment because I am fully aware of the extensive talent in this region and how my selection is as much good fortune and good timing as anything else.”

He added that he is acutely conscious of what the CCJ represents in terms of decolonisation and regional integration, describing it as an honour and privilege to be part of that journey.

Justice Bulkan lauded the CCJ’s record in promoting human rights, upholding democratic values, and guarding against executive overreach. He said the Court’s jurisprudence reflects, “an enlightened approach that seeks to overcome hierarchies and promote substantive justice, notwithstanding populist pressures and deeply rooted societal prejudices.”

He also commended the CCJ’s democratic ethos, emphasising that social status, economic standing or political clout has never been a predictor of outcome.

Further, Justice Bulkan underscored the CCJ’s dynamism and agility in service of substantive justice, and he even cited the court’s rule in refusing to award punitive costs in public interest cases as measures that ensure genuine access to justice. He noted that while the region has made progress, the journey towards full independence is not. “Accession to the CCJ is thus a regional imperative,” he said, expressing hope that all Caribbean states will eventually make the Court their final appellate body.

Justice Bulkan holds degrees from the University of the West Indies, University College London, and York University’s Osgoode Hall Law School, and has worked regionally and internationally as a litigator, academic, author, activist, judge, and international law expert.

He was admitted to the Guyana Bar in 1990 and served at the Chambers of the Director of Public Prosecutions before entering private practice. He later sat on the Guyana Court of Appeal in 2018 and, since 2022, has served as a Judge of the Court of Appeal of Belize.

Between 2008 and 2022, Justice Bulkan lectured at the University of the West Indies’ Faculty of Law and has published extensively on indigenous rights, human rights, and constitutional law.

His publications include The Survival of Indigenous Rights in Guyana (2012) and Fundamentals of Caribbean Constitutional Law (2015, 2021). He has also served as a Vice Chairperson of the United Nations Human Rights Committee and is currently the Second Vice-President of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights. In recognition of his contributions, Justice Bulkan received the Anthony Sabga Caribbean Award for Public and Civic Contributions and was named a PANCAP/CARICOM Champion for Change in 2017.

Moreover, in his remarks, President Ali extended congratulations to Justice Bulkan and described his appointment as both a moment of national pride and a celebration for the wider Caribbean.

He lauded Justice Bulkan’s distinguished career as a model of public service. The president highlighted that Dr Bulkan has served Guyana in multiple capacities, including as a magistrate, appellate judge, scholar, and teacher.

Moreover, President Ali used the occasion to reaffirm Guyana’s commitment to the CCJ. He added, “The CCJ is not an abstraction but a vibrant Caribbean institution, sustained by creativity, intellect, and inspired by Caribbean pride…it is more than a court; it is a declaration of confidence in ourselves. It symbolises the maturity of our independence and our capacity to administer justice according to our own laws, in our own voice, and through our own truths.”

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• Arif Bulkan, Caribbean Court of Justice, CCJ bench, Renay Sambach

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