Chastanet’s Request To Appeal Land Rover Case At CCJ Approved

In a judgment published on November 27 2024, the Eastern Caribbean Court of Appeal granted Allen Chastanet’s application to file an appeal with the Caribbean Court of Justice.  This appeal is in relation to his lawsuit against the Comptroller of Customs for the withdrawal of criminal proceedings against Deputy Prime Minister Dr. Ernest Hilaire.  In Chastanet’s application, he argued that the Comptroller of Customs does not have the legal authority to withdraw criminal charges against an individual. A judgment handed down by the Appeals Court in April ruled that the Comptroller does have the authority to withdraw proceedings, but Chastanet’s attorneys provided a different interpretation of the Customs Act.  According to Chastanet, criminal proceedings can only be stopped by the Director of Public Prosecution.  At paragraph 3 of the decision, the Court says Chastanet’s appeal raises significant legal questions about the interpretation of the Constitution and the Customs Act. It adds that the Caribbean Court of Justice needs to make a definitive ruling in the matter.  “In the instant matter, the proposed appeal and the decision of the Court of Appeal raised several serious legal and constitutional issues which have not had, but which could benefit from, the highest judicial...