PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad, CMC – Jamaican jurist Dr Chantal Ononaiwu has been appointed as a new judge of the Trinidad-based Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ).
She is expected to take office in October.
The appointment was confirmed by the Regional Judicial and Legal Services Commission (RJLSC), the independent body responsible for recruiting staff and judges for the CCJ.
She fills the vacancy created by the untimely retirement of Justice Jacob Wit, who left on December 31, 2023.
Wit died on January 16 this year.
“The RJLSC prides itself on a recruitment process that is competitive, premised on merit and experience and fiercely independent. Each appointment reflects our unwavering commitment to selecting individuals of the highest calibre, based solely on their expertise, integrity, and dedication to justice,” said CCJ President, Justice Adrian Saunders.
“During the recruitment process, we received applications from The Bahamas, Great Britain, Canada, Nigeria, Dominica, Jamaica, Sri Lanka, Suriname, and Trinidad and Tobago. Of the applications received, four candidates, three females and one male, were shortlisted for further consideration and subsequently interviewed by the entire membership of the commission in Port of Spain in person. This process ensures that our court continues to be a beacon of fairness and excellence, characterised by the utmost professionalism and impartiality,” he added.
Ononaiwu, who has more than 20 years’ experience as an attorney, has specialist expertise in Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Law and International Law, including international trade law, and varied legal experience as an adjudicator, litigator, legal advisor, and university lecturer.
“Apart from her international trade law experience, Ononaiwu has expertise in commercial law, having worked in the international business and financial services sector as the Director, Value Proposition Development at Invest Barbados.
“She also served as a Vice-Chair of the International Chamber of Commerce Digital Standards Initiative Legal Reform Advisory Board. Further, at the start of her legal career, Ononaiwu worked as counsel in the Constitutional and Legislative Affairs Division of the Attorney General’s Chambers in Jamaica,” the CCJ said in a statement on Friday.
It said she has lectured in International Trade and Investment Law, Public International Law, and Criminal Law at The University of the West Indies.
Her academic work includes publications in the areas of International Trade Law, Investment Law, Public International Law, and Constitutional Law.
Ononaiwu most recently served as the Director, External Trade, CARICOM, leading the coordination of the organisation’s external trade policy.
During her tenure, she advised CARICOM and its member states on international trade and investment issues and was a negotiator for the community in negotiations of international trade agreements.
She also has experience as an international trade adjudicator, having served as a member of a panel that adjudicated a World Trade Organization dispute.
The Rhodes Scholar holds a Doctor of Philosophy in Law from the University of Oxford; a Master’s of Laws from the University of Cambridge; and Bachelor of Laws (First Class Honours) from The University of the West Indies, as well as a Legal Education Certificate of Merit from the Norman Manley Law School.
The RJLSC is currently conducting recruitment exercises for further appointments to the Bench, including the post of President to replace Justice Saunders who will retire in 2025. (Jamaica Gleaner)
