CCJ to honor outgoing President Adrian Saunders with ceremonial sitting

The Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) will host a ceremonial sitting on Tuesday, June 3, 2025, at Queen’s Hall in Port of Spain to honor Justice Adrian Saunders, who is retiring after nearly 30 years of distinguished service to the Caribbean judiciary.

The event will mark the end of Justice Saunders’ tenure at the CCJ, where he served for 20 years—seven of those as the Court’s third President. His official retirement takes effect on July 3, 2025.

Reflecting on his decades-long career, Justice Saunders stated, “It is truly an honour to have served the people of the Caribbean for almost thirty years. Both at the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court and here at the CCJ, I have had the privilege of working alongside a distinguished panel of judges and a committed team of staff, all of whom share an unwavering dedication to justice, regional development, and institutional excellence.”

A native of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Justice Saunders is the first citizen from the Organisation of the Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) to serve on the CCJ Bench. His judicial career began in 1996 with his appointment to the High Court of the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court (ECSC). He was elevated to the Court of Appeal in 2003 and served as acting Chief Justice from 2004 to 2005.

Throughout his ECSC tenure, Justice Saunders was a key driver of judicial reform, including the implementation of court-connected mediation and the development of the Court’s first Judicial Code of Ethics. He earned a Fellowship from the Commonwealth Judicial Education Institute (CJEI) in 1998 and served as Course Director for its Intensive Study Programme for several years. He is currently the Vice President of the Institute.

His contributions to advancing judicial integrity also earned him a position on the Advisory Board of the Global Judicial Integrity Network, under the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime.

Justice Saunders joined the CCJ as one of its inaugural judges in 2005. He was a founding member of the Caribbean Association of Judicial Officers (CAJO) and served as its Chairman from 2009 to 2019. Since becoming President of the CCJ in 2018, he has led the Court through key strategic developments, strengthening its administrative operations and expanding public engagement.

The ceremonial sitting will be live-streamed on the CCJ’s official YouTube channel, in keeping with the Court’s tradition of transparency and accessibility.