The Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) officially welcomed a new judge today as Justice Chile Eboe-Osuji was sworn in during a ceremony at The President’s House in Port of Spain. The oath of office was administered by Christine Carla Kangaloo, President of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago.
Justice Eboe-Osuji, a Nigerian-Canadian jurist and the first of his nationality to be appointed to the CCJ, fills the vacancy left by Justice Andrew Burgess, who retired on April 11. His appointment was made by the Regional Judicial and Legal Services Commission (RJLSC), following a rigorous and merit-based selection process that drew 26 applicants from across the Commonwealth and CARICOM states.
CCJ President, Justice Adrian Saunders, praised the new appointee’s extensive legal background, which includes service as a former President of the International Criminal Court, Legal Advisor to the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, and experience before courts in Nigeria and Canada. Justice Saunders called him “a brilliant legal mind” poised to make a significant contribution to Caribbean jurisprudence.
In his remarks, Justice Eboe-Osuji stressed the CCJ’s critical role in regional justice, stating it is an honour to join a court that empowers CARICOM nations to rely on their own final appellate body.
CCJ judges serve until the age of 72, while the Court’s president serves a single, non-renewable seven-year term.