London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Friday, Aug 22, 2025

CJ Pereira must have been joking when she urged governments: “to put their money where their mouths are” HA HA HA!

Virgin Islander and Chief Justice of the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court (ECSC), Her Ladyship, The Honourable Dame Janice M. Pereira, DBE, has continued her call on governments of member states and territories to do more than just pay lip service to the ECSC, but rather to put their money where their mouths are.
Let’s hope she was just joking. Otherwise, if Mrs. Pereira is seriously expecting politicians to put their money where their mouths are - she had better go back to school, as that altruistic fantasy questions her basic ability to be even just a simple lawyer.
Politicians put money into their own pockets. Full stop.
Politicians have invested so much to get into their positions that they do not care about others, only about putting the money into their own pockets. Just as for Lawyers and Judges, a Politician's mouth is used only for advertising, and has nothing to do with truth or reality....
"The banks are honest"; "The USA is a democracy"; "All men are created equal"; "Courts deliver justice"; "Criminals are in jail, honest people are law makers and judges"; "We’re only taxing you to serve you better"; "We are civil servants"; "you are Right Honorable"; blah, blah, blah ...

The Honorable Pereira was at the time giving her address, broadcast to all member states and territories of the ECSC, from Antigua and Barbuda at the Opening of the 2019/20 Law Year under the theme: “A NEW ERA for the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court: the Road to achieving Court Excellence” on Monday, January 13, 2020.

The Chief Justice named and thanked a number of persons who took up appointments in jurisdictions across the Eastern Caribbean States and said it is no hidden fact that the Court is under-resourced both in terms of human and financial capital.

“In respect to human capital, I put the call out to those of our legal practitioners who are eminently qualified to step up to the plate and serve not on a part-time basis but full-time. It has been said that some of our finest work comes through service to others.”


Courts operating without a budget

On the financial side of things, the Chief Justice urged governments to provide more than lip service.

“I once more call on the executives of our governments across the region to do more and provide more than lip service to the courts.”

According to Hon Pereira, the courts have been made to operate without an approved budget for several months now “and with promises not kept.”

She continued, “The fact that a little time, just once in the space of a year, to address funding for the court seems elusive, it speaks volume about where the judiciary is pegged, somewhere on the bottom rung of the ladder.”

Hon Pereira described this as a chronic failure by governments to adequately fund the courts in their jurisdiction, which prevents the court from putting strategic plans into action.

“The reforms and enhancements to current court processes and procedures and the addition of new ones coupled with capacity building amongst our judicial officers and court staff can only go so far.

“If we fail to appreciate our human resources and if the doors of our courts are closed or our physical facilities cannot support our courts optimised scheduling of matters, or where basic facilities fail to be provided at all then all, the reforms, no matter how well intended, count to nought.”


‘I am unable to silent about it’

Similar admonishments were made by Hon Pereira during the opening of the 2018/19 Law Year on September 18, 2018.

She had noted that the budgetary allocation for the operations of the Court in any of the Member States and Territories is less than 3% of the annual budget of any of the States in any year and had lamented that yet the financial position of the Court, year after year, remains one of grave concern.

“I am unable to stay silent about it. This Court does not have the benefit of a trust fund arrangement which at least serves as a buffer between the Judiciary and the Executive which holds the power of the purse. This Court must seek approval each year for its operational budget. Even so, the Court is constantly faced with the failure of some States to honour their financial obligations. Arrears continue to mount in respect of monies due to the Court.”

Hon Pereira had said at the time that the aggregate of arrears in contributions due to the Court stood at just over 22 million dollars.

“These shortcomings pose real risks to the administration of justice as they affect the Court’s ability to plan and implement programmes, or to employ resources vital for bringing about reforms or to keep the Court functioning as it should. These failures undermine access to justice and the delivery of justice,” Hon Pereira had stated.


About the ECSC

The Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court (ECSC) was established in 1967 by the West Indies Associated States Supreme Court Order No. 223 of 1967.

The (ECSC) is a superior court of record for the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS), including six independent states: Antigua and Barbuda, the Commonwealth of Dominica, Grenada, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and three British Overseas Territories (Anguilla, [British] Virgin Islands, and Montserrat).

It has unlimited jurisdiction in each member state.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
After 200,000 Orders in 2 Minutes: Xiaomi Accelerates Marketing in Europe
Ukraine Declares De Facto War on Hungary and Slovakia with Terror Drone Strikes on Their Gas Lifeline
Animated K-pop Musical ‘KPop Demon Hunters’ Becomes Netflix’s Most-Watched Original Animated Film
New York Appeals Court Voids Nearly $500 Million Civil Fraud Penalty Against Trump While Upholding Fraud Liability
Elon Musk tweeted, “Europe is dying”
Far-Right Activist Convicted of Incitement Changes Gender and Demands: "Send Me to a Women’s Prison" | The Storm in Germany
Hungary Criticizes Ukraine: "Violating Our Sovereignty"
Will this be the first country to return to negative interest rates?
Child-free hotels spark controversy
North Korea is where this 95-year-old wants to die. South Korea won’t let him go. Is this our ally or a human rights enemy?
Hong Kong Launches Regulatory Regime and Trials for HKD-Backed Stablecoins
China rehearses September 3 Victory Day parade as imagery points to ‘loyal wingman’ FH-97 family presence
Trump Called Viktor Orbán: "Why Are You Using the Veto"
Horror in the Skies: Plane Engine Exploded, Passengers Sent Farewell Messages
MSNBC Rebrands as MS NOW Amid Comcast’s Cable Spin-Off
AI in Policing: Draft One Helps Speed Up Reports but Raises Legal and Ethical Concerns
Shame in Norway: Crown Princess’s Son Accused of Four Rapes
Apple Begins Simultaneous iPhone 17 Production in India and China
A Robot to Give Birth: The Chinese Announcement That Shakes the World
Finnish MP Dies by Suicide in Parliament Building
Outrage in the Tennis World After Jannik Sinner’s Withdrawal Storm
William and Kate Are Moving House – and the New Neighbors Were Evicted
Class Action Lawsuit Against Volkswagen: Steering Wheel Switches Cause Accidents
Taylor Swift on the Way to the Super Bowl? All the Clues Stirring Up Fans
Dogfights in the Skies: Airbus on Track to Overtake Boeing and Claim Aviation Supremacy
Tim Cook Promises an AI Revolution at Apple: "One of the Most Significant Technologies of Our Generation"
Apple Expands Social Media Presence in China With RedNote Account Ahead of iPhone 17 Launch
Are AI Data Centres the Infrastructure of the Future or the Next Crisis?
Cambridge Dictionary Adds 'Skibidi,' 'Delulu,' and 'Tradwife' Amid Surge of Online Slang
Bill Barr Testifies No Evidence Implicated Trump in Epstein Case; DOJ Set to Release Records
Zelenskyy Returns to White House Flanked by European Allies as Trump Pressures Land-Swap Deal with Putin
The CEO Who Replaced 80% of Employees for the AI Revolution: "I Would Do It Again"
Emails Worth Billions: How Airlines Generate Huge Profits
Character.ai Bets on Future of AI Companionship
China Ramps Up Tax Crackdown on Overseas Investments
Japanese Office Furniture Maker Expands into Bomb Shelter Market
Intel Shares Surge on Possible U.S. Government Investment
Hurricane Erin Threatens U.S. East Coast with Dangerous Surf
EU Blocks Trade Statement Over Digital Rule Dispute
EU Sends Record Aid as Spain Battles Wildfires
JPMorgan Plans New Canary Wharf Tower
Zelenskyy and his allies say they will press Trump on security guarantees
Beijing is moving into gold and other assets, diversifying away from the dollar
Escalating Clashes in Serbia as Anti-Government Protests Spread Nationwide
The Drought in Britain and the Strange Request from the Government to Delete Old Emails
Category 5 Hurricane in the Caribbean: 'Catastrophic Storm' with Winds of 255 km/h
"No, Thanks": The Mathematical Genius Who Turned Down 1.5 Billion Dollars from Zuckerberg
The surprising hero, the ugly incident, and the criticism despite victory: "Liverpool’s defense exposed in full"
Digital Humans Move Beyond Sci-Fi: From Virtual DJs to AI Customer Agents
YouTube will start using AI to guess your age. If it’s wrong, you’ll have to prove it
×