AMBASSADOR Lolita Applewhaite, Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Secretary-General (ag), has applauded the outstanding service rendered to the Community by the first President of the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ), His Lordship the Rt Hon. Justice Michael De La Bastide. Justice De La Bastide, who leaves office on Thursday 18 August, was honoured at a Ceremonial Sitting of the CCJ in Trinidad and Tobago on Friday last.

Trumpeting his contribution in the development of Community Law, Ambassador Applewhaite said that Justice De La Bastide built a solid foundation during his stewardship over the CCJ. She added that he was pressed into service at a time when the Community had entered “unchartered waters” through the “marrying” of the Original and Appellate Jurisdictions into one court.

“It was an unmistakable acknowledgement of your excellence, Your Honour that you were chosen to spearhead this process of laying the foundations of a truly regional jurisprudence, through the construct of a Body of Community Law,” the Acting Secretary-General said.

According to a statement from the Community Secretariat,  the construct is well underway and secured on the moorings overseen by Justice De La Bastide.

“The Community would have expected no less than that which You have delivered on,” Ambassador Applewhaite stated.

Just as the Court itself is a “path-breaking institution,” the Acting Secretary-General said that Justice De La Bastide has also distinguished himself with stellar scholastic and professional achievements for which he received Trinidad and Tobago’s highest national honour.

Justice De La Bastide’s accomplishments in the field of Law allowed him to serve as the only jurist who functioned as a member of the Privy Council and the Caribbean Court of Justice, the Acting Secretary-General noted, as she extended appreciation for his “yeoman service” to the Region.