A new voice for justice
With historic CCJ appointment, Dr Chantal Ononaiwu honours Jamaica’s role in her success
Published:Wednesday | October 30, 2024 | 12:17 AMSashana Small/Staff Reporter
Dr Chantal Ononaiwu, the newly appointed judge of the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ), has praised Jamaica’s crucial role in her rise to the bench of the Caribbean Community’s judicial institution.
She is the second Jamaican and the third woman to serve on the CCJ.
During her swearing-in ceremony at King’s House on Tuesday, Ononaiwu reflected on the significance of her appointment and expressed gratitude for the support of her family, friends, and mentors. She emphasised the role Jamaica played in shaping her for more than two decades as an attorney.
“Jamaica invested heavily in me during my formative years, creating an environment where excellence and distinction were encouraged and celebrated, while hard work, discipline, and a commitment to service and community were nurtured,” she said.
Ononaiwu is a past student of the Rose Gordon Kindergarten and Preparatory School, and Immaculate Conception High School. She received a scholarship which supported her undergraduate legal studies at The University of the West Indies and her professional training at the Norman Manley Law School.
In the early years of her career, she gained “invaluable experience” working at the Attorney General’s Chambers in Jamaica under the tutelage of noted attorney and former Solicitor General Michael Hylton. She said she also worked with the present solicitor general, Marlene Aldred, in the Constitutional and Legislative Affairs Division.
In 2002, she was awarded the Youth Musgrave Medal by the Institute of Jamaica for eminence in the field of law.
APPRECIATION
“I deeply value the opportunity to continue to serve the community as a judge of its highest court, and appreciate the immense responsibility this office carries,” Ononaiwu said.
Stressing the value of regional integration to the collective development of the Caribbean, she highlighted the pivotal role that the CCJ plays in advancing the rule of law in, and building, Caribbean jurisprudence.
“Indeed, we are a region coming of age and reaping the benefits of our significant investments in Caribbean legal education. It is profound that all seven judges of the Caribbean Court of Justice are graduates of The University of the West Indies,” she said.
She pledged to work assiduously to continue to shape the jurisprudence and overall direction of the CCJ.
“Our Caribbean Court of Justice is an institution of which we can be proud, in which we should have confidence, and to which we must remain committed,” she said.
CCJ President Justice Adrian Saunders stated that the Regional Judicial and Legal Services Commission – the independent body responsible for recruiting staff and judges for the CCJ – prides itself on having a transparent recruitment process based on merit, with each appointment reflecting the commission’s commitment to select judges of the highest calibre.
MANY ROLES
Ononaiwu 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.
She also has expertise in commercial law, having worked in the international business and financial services sector as the director of 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. She has lectured in international trade and investment law, public international law, and criminal law at The University of the West Indies.
She most recently served as the director of external trade at CARICOM, leading the coordination of the organisation’s external trade policy. She also has experience as an international trade adjudicator, having served as a member of a panel that adjudicated a World Trade Organization dispute.
She is a Rhodes Scholar and holds a Doctor of Philosophy in Law from the University of Oxford and a Master of Laws from the University of Cambridge.
Ononaiwu fills the vacancy created by the retirement of Justice Jacob Wit on December 31, 2023. Wit died on January 16 this year.
“CARICOM’s undoubted loss is the CCJ’s gain, but I venture to suggest that the region would benefit even more greatly from her tenure on the CCJ,” Saunders said.
Meanwhile, in congratulating Ononaiwu on her appointment, Prime Minister Andrew Holness said it is one in which Jamaica takes pride.
“Her profound expertise in international law and her dedication to uplifting the Caribbean reflects a passion that resonates beyond borders, making her an asset to the judicial landscape for Jamaica, the region, and the world,” he said. “We celebrate you, not only as an accomplished jurist, but as a true inspiration and a proud daughter of Jamaica.”