Judges

Judges of the Caribbean Court of Justice

The Honourable Mr. Justice Adrian Saunders, President

The Honourable Mr. Justice Adrian Saunders, President of the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ), is a native of St. Vincent and the Grenadines. He joined the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court (ECSC) High Court Bench in 1996, after 19 years of private practice. On May 1, 2003 he was appointed to the ECSC’s Court of Appeal and served as acting Chief Justice between 2004 and 2005. Due to his active engagement in advancing judicial integrity, Mr Justice Saunders was appointed to the Advisory Board of the Global Judicial Integrity Network by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime’s (UNODC) Global Programme for the Implementation of the Doha Declaration.

Mr Justice Saunders has written many legal articles and publications. He is the Editor-in-Chief of The Caribbean Civil Court Practice and a co-author of Fundamentals of Caribbean Constitutional Law. He holds an Honorary Doctorate from the University of the West Indies. He is also an Honorary Bencher of the Society of the Inner Temple. In 2005 Justice Saunders was among the first cohort of judges to be appointed to the newly created Caribbean Court of Justice. In 2018 he was appointed President of that Court for a seven-year term.

The Honourable Mr. Justice Winston Anderson

Winston Charles Anderson is of Jamaican nationality and upbringing. He was born in 1960 in Saint Ann’s Bay, Saint Ann, raised in the rural village of Brittonville, and attended Brittonville Primary School and later Ferncourt High School, from which he transferred to Saint Andrew Technical High School (STATHS) in Kingston. He entered the Faculty of Law, University of the West Indies in 1980, and graduated in 1983 with the Degree of Bachelor of Laws. From 1983 to 1984 he taught undergraduate courses, including International Law, at UWI, whilst pursuing the LLM degree there.

In 1984, he proceeded on the Commonwealth & Chevening Scholarships to Cambridge University, England and graduated in 1988 with a Doctorate in Philosophy majoring in International and Environmental Law. Also, in 1988, he completed a course of training at the Inns of Court School of Law in London and was called to the Bar of England and Wales, as a Barrister of the Honourable Society of Lincoln’s Inn.

The Honourable Mme. Justice Maureen Rajnauth-Lee

The Hon. Mme. Justice Maureen Rajnauth-Lee is a Judge of the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ). She is the first woman citizen of Trinidad and Tobago to be appointed to the CCJ Bench. She is a former Justice of Appeal of the Trinidad and Tobago Judiciary and graduate of the University of the West Indies with a Bachelor of Laws (First Class Honours) and of the Hugh Wooding Law School. Admitted to practise law in 1980, she served in the Solicitor General’s Department and in 1986, embarked on a career in private practice. She is a founding member and former Vice-President of the Caribbean Association of Women Judges and of the Trinidad and Tobago Association of Women Judges. She is a certified Mediator and a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators.

Justice Rajnauth-Lee chaired the Sexual Offences Advisory Committee appointed under the JURIST Project to provide support for the development of the Sexual Offences Model Guidelines for the Caribbean Region and for the establishment of a Sexual Offences Model Court in Antigua and Barbuda.

The Honourable Mr. Justice Denys Barrow

The Honourable Mr. Justice Denys Barrow, citizen of Belize, is a graduate of the University of the West Indies with a Bachelor of Laws and received a Legal Education Certificate from the Norman Manley Law School. He was admitted to the practice of law in Belize in 1977 and embarked on a career in private practice. In 1990, Mr. Justice Barrow was elevated to Senior Counsel and went on to start his own law firm “Barrow and Company”.

Mr. Justice Barrow’s judicial career included service as High Court Judge in St. Lucia, Grenada, Belize and the British Virgin Islands between 2001 and 2005, Justice of Appeal of the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court from 2005 to 2008 and Justice of Appeal of the Court of Appeal of Belize from 2010 to 2012.

The Honourable Mr. Justice Peter Jamadar

The Honourable Mr. Justice Peter Jamadar was sworn in as a Judge of the Caribbean Court of Justice on July 4, 2019 and formally assumed duties on July 15, 2019. He obtained his Bachelor of Laws degree (Hons) from The University of the West Indies (The UWI) in 1982 and his Legal Education Certificate (LEC) from the Hugh Wooding Law School, St. Augustine, Trinidad in 1984. In 1984, he was admitted to the Bar of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago. On September 15, 1997, he was appointed a Puisne Judge of the High Court, and on October 1, 2008, he was elevated to the Court of Appeal of Trinidad and Tobago.

From 1984 to 1991, before his service to the Judiciary of Trinidad and Tobago, Mr Justice Jamadar was in private practice as an attorney-at-law in the Chambers of his father, Vernon Jamadar and a partner in the firm, Jamadar and Kangaloo from 1991 to 1994. From 1994 to 1997, Justice Jamadar attended the University of Toronto, Canada, and obtained the degree of Master of Divinity (First Class Honours). He is a former President of the Assembly of Southern Lawyers and an executive member of the Trinidad and Tobago Law Association.

The Honourable Mme Justice Chantal Ononaiwu

Justice Chantal Ononaiwu, an attorney-at-law with over 20 years of experience at the Caribbean Bar, is recognised for her expertise in Caribbean Community (CARICOM) law and international law, particularly international trade law. Throughout her distinguished career, she has served as an adjudicator, litigator, legal advisor, and university lecturer. A Jamaican national, Dr Ononaiwu was admitted to practice law in Jamaica in 2001 and is also called to the Bar in Barbados.

For over 15 years, she worked at the CARICOM Secretariat, based in Barbados. She began as a Trade Policy and Legal Specialist at the Caribbean Regional Negotiating Machinery before it was incorporated into the Secretariat. Later, she served as the Director of External Trade, coordinating CARICOM’s external trade policy. During her tenure, Justice Ononaiwu represented CARICOM in cases before the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ), advised the Community and its Member States on international trade and investment issues, and participated as a negotiator in international trade agreements. Her legal acumen also led her to serve on a panel that adjudicated a World Trade Organization dispute.

The Honourable Mr Justice Chile Eboe-Osuji

Born on 2 September 1962, in Añara, Imo, Nigeria, Chile Eboe-Osuji was sworn in as a judge of the Caribbean Court of Justice on 15 April 2025, in the President’s House, Port of Spain, in a ceremony witnessed by Her Excellency, Christine Carla Kangaloo ORTT, the President of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago.

Past Presidents and Judges

The Right Honourable Mr. Justice Michael de la Bastide – former President (2005-2011)

The Right Honourable Mr. Justice Michael de la Bastide TC, was born in Port of Spain, Trinidad & Tobago, on 18 July 1937. He attended St. Mary’s College, Port of Spain , from 1945 to 1955, where he won the Trinidad & Tobago Open Scholarship (Languages) in 1954. From St. Mary’s, he proceeded to Christ Church College of Oxford University, which he attended from 1956 to 1960, where he read Law. He obtained the degrees of Bachelor of Arts (Jurisprudence) with First Class Honours in 1959 and the Bachelor of Civil Law, also with First Class Honours, in 1960. A member of Gray’s Inn from 1956, Mr. de la Bastide was part-time tutor in Law at Christ Church from 1960 to 1961. He was called to the Bar on February 7, 1961. In that same year, he was awarded a Stuart Cunningham Macaskie Scholarship and a James Mould Scholarship by Gray’s Inn.

The Right Honourable Sir Charles Michael Dennis Byron – former President (2011-2018)

Sir Charles Michael Dennis Byron was born in Basseterre, St. Kitts on July 4, 1943 the first of four children of Vincent and Pearl Byron. Sir Dennis won the Leeward Islands Scholarship in 1960 and went on to read law at Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge University from which he graduated with an M.A and an LL.B. In 1965, he was called to the Bar of England and Wales by the Honourable Society of the Inner Temple. Sir Dennis Byron distinguished himself in private practice as a Barrister‐at‐Law and Solicitor throughout the Leeward Islands, with Chambers in St. Kitts, Nevis and Anguilla from 1966 to 1982. His judicial career began in 1982 when he was appointed as a High Court Judge of the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court. In 1999, he was appointed Chief Justice of the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court, having acted in that position for two years. As Acting Chief Justice, Mr. Justice Byron made the establishment of the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court Judicial Reform Programme a matter of high priority.

The Honourable Mr. Justice Duke Pollard – former Judge (2005-2010)

The Honourable Mr. Justice Duke E.E. Pollard (Guyana) received his secondary education at Queen’s College (Guyana), after which he took the B.A. (Hons) and the LL.B (Hons) degrees from the University of London. He followed these with Master of Laws (LL.M.) degrees from both McGill and New York Universities. The Honourable Judge is also: the holder of the Legal Education Certificate from the Norman Manley Law School; a member of the Bars of Guyana and Jamaica; and a Fellow of the Centre for International and Comparative Law of McGill University. Over the years, Mr. Justice Pollard has established himself as an expert jurist in international law, specialising in international economic law, the Law of the Sea, international institutional law, the Law of Treaties, general integration law and economic integration law.

The Honourable Mme. Justice Désirée Bernard – former Judge (2005 – 2014)

The Honourable Mme. Justice Désirée Bernard, a citizen of Guyana, read Law at the University of London, graduating with the LLB (Hons.) degree in 1963. Qualifying as a solicitor in 1964, the then Ms. Bernard engaged in private practice in the High court of the Supreme Court of Guyana from 1965 to 1980. During that period, she was appointed a magistrate (1970), Commissioner of oaths & Notary Public (1976) and was admitted to the English Roll of Solicitors (1977). Thereafter, Mme. Justice Bernard established a number of professional “firsts,” being appointed the first female High Court Judge of the Supreme Court of Guyana (1980); the first female Justice of Appeal (1992); the first female Chief Justice of Guyana and in the Commonwealth Caribbean (1996); and the first female Chancellor of the Judiciary of Guyana and in the Commonwealth Caribbean (2001). Mme. Justice Bernard took the oath of office as a Judge of the Caribbean Court of Justice at the Court’s inauguration Ceremony, on Saturday 16 April 2005.

The Honourable Mr. Justice Rolston Nelson – former Judge (2005-2017)

The Honourable Mr. Justice Rolston Nelson obtained his secondary education at Queen’s Royal College, where he was a House Scholar and National Scholar. The then Mr. Nelson read Modern Languages and Jurisprudence at the University of Oxford, graduating with Honours in each discipline. He later specialised in commercial law and was awarded the degree of Master of Laws (LLM) of the University of London. Mr. Nelson was called to the Bar at Lincoln’s Inn in 1970, and entered Chancery Chambers as a pupil of two of the leading Chancery Juniors. In 1973, he was appointed a tutor at the Norman Manley Law School in Jamaica, and was admitted to practise at the Jamaican Bar in the same year. Two years later, in 1975, Mr. Nelson was admitted to practise at the Trinidad & Tobago Bar and began private practice in 1976. In October 1993, he was admitted to the Inner Bar as a senior counsel. Mr. Justice Nelson was sworn in directly from the Bar as Justice of Appeal of the Supreme Court of Judicature of Trinidad & Tobago on Wednesday 12 May 1999, by then Acting President of the Republic, Mr. Ganace Ramdial. Mr. Justice Nelson was sworn in as Judge of the Caribbean Court of Justice on Tuesday 1 February 2005, by His Excellency Professor George Maxwell Richards, then President of the Republic of Trinidad & Tobago. As Senior Judge, Mr. Justice Nelson has served as Acting President of the Court on several occasions.

The Honourable Mr. Justice David Hayton – former Judge (2005-2019)

The Honourable Mr. Justice David Hayton – former Judge (2005-2019) The Honourable Mr. Justice David Hayton, born in 1944, won a free scholarship to Newcastle Royal Grammar School before studying 1963-66 at Newcastle University, whence he graduated with an LL.B. with 1st Class Honours and the Rennoldson Memorial Prize for topping his year, having also been runner up in the March 1966 final of the UK Universities’ Mooting Competition judged by Lord Reid. From 1966-1969, he was a Law Lecturer at Sheffield University, and was called to the Bar in 1968, having obtained the Treasurer’s Prize for topping the 1968 Bar Finals Exam. After pupillages with Michael Miller and Peter Millett (1969-1970), he practised as a Chancery barrister, ultimately specialising in domestic and international trusts and succession. He was made a Bencher of Lincoln’s Inn in 2004.

The Honourable Mr. Justice Jacob Wit – former Judge (2005-2023)

The Honourable Mr Justice Wit was born on 24 December 1952 in Haarlemmermeer, The Netherlands. He studied law from 1971 to 1977 at the Vrije Universiteit (Free University) of Amsterdam, from which he took the degree of Meester in de Rechten (Master of Laws) with honours. After completing his military service (1976-1978) as a Second Lieutenant in the Royal Dutch Navy, he was admitted in March 1978 as a Judicial Trainee at the Studiecentrum Rechtspleging (Training and Study Centre for the Judiciary) in Zutphen, the Netherlands, where he remained enrolled until 1984. During this period, he held the posts of Griffier (Law Clerk) in the Rotterdam District Court, Rotterdam, (1978-1980) and plaatsvervangend Officier van Justitie (Deputy Prosecutor) at the Amsterdam District Court (1980-1982) and worked as an advocaat (attorney-at-law) with the Law Firm of Van Doorne & Sjollema in Rotterdam (1982-1984). Mr Justice Wit was appointed by Her Majesty Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands as Deputy Judge of the Rotterdam District Court in January 1984, Judge of the Rotterdam District Court in March 1985 and Judge of the Joint Court of Justice of the Netherlands Antilles and Aruba on 1 October 1986. This Court consists of several Courts of First Instance (Aruba, Curaçao, Sint Maarten, and the so-called BES islands) and a Court of Appeal.

The Honourable Mr. Justice Andrew Burgess – former Judge (2019-2025)

The Honourable Mr Justice Andrew Burgess The Honourable Mr. Justice Andrew Burgess, a native of Barbados, was sworn in as a CCJ Judge on 18 January 2019. He was previously a Court of Appeal Judge in Barbados, a Dean of the Faculty of Law at The University of the West Indies’ Cave Hill campus and a Professor of Corporate and Commercial Law. At the University of the West Indies, he had the distinction of being the longest-serving dean at the Law Faculty’s Cave Hill campus. He also was the first law graduate to be appointed a professor and also serve as dean. In 2013, Mr. Justice Burgess was awarded by the Office of Alumni Relations of the University of the West Indies for his outstanding contribution to the Faculty of Law. He is currently a judge on the 7-member panel of the World Bank Administrative Tribunal, having been appointed in 2013 for a 5-year period. In 2017, he was elected by his fellow Judges to be the Vice President of the tribunal. The Tribunal is the final and binding forum of last resort for the resolution of cases submitted by members of the staff of the bank alleging non-observance of their contracts of employment or terms of appointment. The present World Bank Administrative Tribunal also comprises judges from the United States, Argentina, Egypt, Sierra Leone, Iran and France. He also had a distinguished career internationally as a judge of the Inter-American Development Bank’s Administrative Tribunal in Washington, D.C. Mr. Justice Burgess was the body’s Vice-President in 2007 and 2009 and served as President from 2009-2010. Mr. Justice Burgess is also an author, having published Commonwealth Caribbean Company Law in 2013 and The Law of Corporate Receivers and Receiver-Managers in 2002, in addition to being published on legal issues especially in corporate and commercial jurisprudence. The career of Mr. Justice Burgess also includes terms as a Senator in the Senate and as a Councillor in the Council of the University of the West Indies; as a member of the Barbados Judicial Council, as a member of the Tax Appeal Tribunal in Barbados, and as Chairman of a number of national and regional committees. He was a Senior Commonwealth Fellow at Oxford University, England between 1992-1993. He is married to Mrs. Sandra Osbourne-Burgess and is the father of two sons, Ayo and Akil.

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Judges of the Caribbean Court of Justice

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