Above: Bahamian Chief Justice Sir Michael Barnett (BIS Photo/Patrick Hanna)

Two major Caribbean judicial conferences are currently convening in Nassau, the Conference of Caribbean Chief Justices and Heads of Judiciary and the Caribbean Association of Judicial Officers.

The meeting of the Conference of Caribbean Chief Justices and Heads of Judiciary was its 10th, with 13 judiciaries and 80 delegates participating in the three-day event.

Bahamian Chief Justice said the Bahamas is faced with inherent challenges as an archipelago of hundreds of miles.

“Although New Providence has the largest population base and is the hub of economic activity, the administration of justice must also serve the needs of the small populations of the remoter islands,” said Bahamian Chief Justice Sir Michael Barnett.

He said that while conferences could help, Caribbean challenges like transshipment of drugs, ammunition and people, along with money laundering and white-collar crime, could only be met by a constant interaction among those involved in the administration of justice.

Also participating a conference was Sir Dennis Byron, the new president of the Caribbean Court of Justice, along with fellow CCJ Justice Adrian Saunders.