Annual Report of the Judiciary of Trinidad and Tobago 2012-2013 Annual Report 2012-2013 | Page 7

Over the last 15 years, the Judiciary of the Republic of Trinidad
and Tobago has been taking deliberate steps, as far as its
resources and capacity allowed, towards building a court system
that would serve as a pillar of strength and stability for our
democracy, and as a forerunner to a modern and effective
justice administration system.
The Judiciary’s role in the administration of justice is not seen
as an end in itself, but as actively helping to create a fair, just,
progressive and prosperous society with the rule of law as its
cornerstone. It is understood that the Judiciary can only play its
part effectively when citizens have utmost confidence in the
integrity, independence and impartiality of judges, and in the
fact that due process is afforded to all who come before the
courts.
To operate effectively and to garner that level of public trust and
confidence, and to ensure timeliness and consistency, court
systems require effective leadership and management at all
levels in the organisation, complemented by partnerships and
collaboration with stakeholders, awareness of the needs of
customers, effective internal and external communication, and
employee engagement and consultation. Moreover it involves
an unwavering vision for justice, a resolute hope that Trinidad
and Tobago can realise its true potential as a nation, and a
steadfast commitment to the development of our people.

where leadership has taken us as a Judiciary. We celebrated how
far we have come. But we also paused to get a better picture of
where we want to go. The latter predominated our work during
the past year.
A critical issue for which the Judiciary has remained vigilant has
been the fundamental basis for inspiring public trust and
confidence – the separation of powers and judicial independence. This is a core issue in respect of which the Judiciary has
made great efforts to meet internationally accepted standards for
the governance of the third arm of the State. Though the subject
has been spoken about and discussed extensively, not only in
Trinidad and Tobago, but also in both developed and developing
democracies, the debate today remains unabated. From our
point of view, essential reforms in the Judiciary’s administration
have direct ties with the need to guard its independence. For
example, the Department of Court Administration (DCA) was
conceived as the administrative arm of the Judiciary, in part to

These are hallmarks of a high performing, professional organisation which has been the destination at the heart of our efforts
these past few years. Accordingly, under the leadership of predecessor Chief Justices which has inspired my own aspirations for
the administration of justice, the Judiciary of Trinidad and
Tobago has persistently endeavoured to produce a s