Caribbean Court of Justice Rules on Constitutionality of Amendments to Belize’s Supreme Court of Judicature Act (January 24, 2014) [1]
On January 24, 2014, the Caribbean Court of Justice ruled [3] in The Attorney General of Belize v. Zuniga et al. case that most of the challenged amendments to Belize’s Supreme Court of Judicature Act were constitutional. The dispute arose out of a 2005 Accommodation Agreement between the Government and Belize Telemedia Limited. According to the press release [4], the Government subsequently “attempt[ed] to restrain the Respondents from enforcing an international arbitral award. These events ultimately led to the passage of the New Legislation.” This new legislation was challenged, and the Court found it to be constitutional, except for those provisions prescribing minimum mandatory sentences for knowingly disobeying or failing to comply with an injunction, particularly an anti-arbitration injunction. The Court ordered, inter alia, that the mandatory minimum sentences provisions be severed from the Act.