Prime Minister Gaston Browne has ruled out another attempt during the government’s current term to replace the London-based Privy Council with the Caribbean Court of Justice as Antigua and Barbuda’s final appellate court.

Browne said he continues to support an eventual transition to the CCJ but believes public concerns about the regional judiciary show that the country is not yet ready.

“There’s no way this term that we would even try to make that transition because we’re not at that level of maturity,” Browne said during the Browne and Browne Show.

The prime minister acknowledged that the government previously held a referendum on the proposed transition and said he strongly supported the effort.

“I recognise that the people are not necessarily wrong,” Browne said. “The level of maturity in our judiciary is such that it has created an element of fear within the society.”

He said some citizens believe the distance and anonymity provided by the United Kingdom-based Privy Council offer greater protection from possible regional influence.

“They feel that the anonymity that they get out of the United Kingdom, the Privy Council, protects them, and I can’t fault them,” Browne said.

The prime minister maintained that he is not abandoning his support for the CCJ.

“I’m not arguing against the transition, and I will continue to support that transition,” he said. “But I have to accept that we are probably not at the level of maturity to make that transition as yet.”

Browne argued that public confidence has been weakened by what he considers lenient sentences and the judiciary’s failure to address concerns about the handling of serious criminal cases.

He urged judicial officials to engage with the government and the public on sentencing and other criminal justice concerns.

This article was originally published by Antigua News Room. Read the original article here: VIDEO: PM Browne Rules Out New CCJ Referendum This Term, Citing Public Concerns.