Description
Social activist Jeremy Enriquez is welcoming a recent Caribbean Court of Justice ruling that clarifies how appeals should be filed in Belize and how wasted costs orders should be handled. The CCJ ruled in Enriquez’s favor on two of three appeals tied to his challenge of Belize’s electoral boundaries. The court found that his notice of appeal was valid. It also overturned an order that would have forced Senior Counsel Anand Ramlogan to personally pay part of the government’s legal costs, saying he was not given proper notice or a fair chance to respond. But the CCJ dismissed a third appeal linked to an ex parte order from the High Court. The court said Enriquez should have first asked the High Court to vary or discharge that order before appealing. Enriquez says the judgment is encouraging because it pushes the High Court to focus more on the merits of cases, rather than shutting them down on legal technicalities.