Nearly two decades after the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) formalized its role as the regional guardian of the Revised Treaty of Chaguaramas (RTC), the institution has marked a historic milestone for Caribbean regional integration. On April 7, 2026, justices of the CCJ convened the first case management conference for a referral submitted by a national court across the entire Caribbean Community (CARICOM), a request that originated from Belize’s High Court.
The referral was formally filed with the CCJ on March 3 this year, stemming from the domestic legal dispute *G. Anwar Barrow and others v Financial Services Commission and the Attorney General of Belize*. According to an official statement released by the CCJ, the core legal questions being forwarded to the regional court center on two key issues: the proper interpretation of specific statutory clauses in Belize’s national Companies Act, and how those domestic provisions align and interact with existing bans on anti-competitive business activity outlined in the RTC.
Under the framework of the RTC, the CCJ holds compulsory, exclusive original jurisdiction over all disputes tied to the interpretation and application of the regional trade and integration treaty. When questions about the treaty’s rules emerge during proceedings in domestic courts or administrative tribunals across CARICOM member states, the treaty requires these national bodies to refer the interpretive question to the CCJ for a binding, definitive ruling. Once the CCJ issues its judgment on the question, the case is returned to the original referring body, which applies the court’s interpretation to the specific facts of the dispute before issuing its final ruling.
Prior to 2026, no domestic court across CARICOM had ever utilized this formal referral mechanism, a gap that prompted the CCJ to launch a targeted regional public education and outreach campaign. The initiative, which was funded by the European Development Fund, was designed to build familiarity and confidence with the referral process among judicial officers, practicing attorneys, and private sector stakeholders across the bloc.
The program launched its first training and sensitization workshops in Belize back in 2022, in partnership with the CCJ Academy for Law and Belize’s national judiciary. Over the following four years, the outreach effort expanded to include in-person and virtual sessions in seven additional CARICOM members: Barbados, Guyana, Jamaica, Saint Lucia, Suriname, and Trinidad and Tobago. Alongside training for legal professionals, the CCJ also held parallel engagement sessions with regional business communities to clarify the rights and obligations set out in the CARICOM Single Market and Economy (CSME), the bloc’s flagship economic integration project.
During the April 7 case management conference, CCJ justices issued a full set of procedural directions to set a clear timeline and framework for the proceedings moving forward. Per the official release, the substantive hearing on the referred question has been scheduled for 11:00 a.m. Atlantic Standard Time on Tuesday, May 19, 2026, and will be conducted entirely via video conference to allow all stakeholders to participate safely and conveniently.