The Judicial Committee of the Privy Council is to become the final port of call for appeals from Honduras following the implementation of semi-independent city states in the nation.
The Tegucigalpa government hopes the comparatively self-governing city states will attract business investment and create employment, drawing on the support of international partners. One partner will be Mauritius, which has opted to support the legal framework of the states.
Colonial remnant
Mauritius – a member of the British Commonwealth – retains the Privy Council as its final court of appeal, cases referred from Honduras to Mauritius could eventually reach the Westminster court.
The deal, which was reportedly arranged in March, when five UK supreme justices travelled to Mauritius to hear cases, will primarily affect commercial disputes, with no announcement made so far regarding criminal appeals.
The council is presided over by UK Supreme Court judges, and it has faced some criticism as being an unnecessary remnant of Britain’s colonial past. Nonetheless, the council remains the final court of appeal for UK overseas territories and Commonwealth members that have elected to use it.
Financial impact
Although claims from Honduras are unlikely to have a financial impact on the Privy Council, with claimants most likely paying their own court fees, concerns have been raised that the increase in caseload may place too much pressure on the judges.
A spokesperson for the council told The Guardian newspaper that ‘it is of course far too early to tell how many cases might arise from these areas, but the judicial committee stands ready as the final court of appeal, as it does for a wide range of jurisdictions.’
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