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Jamaican, Dr Chantal Ononaiwu has been selected by the Regional Judicial and Legal Services Commission (RJLSC), the independent body responsible for recruiting staff and judges for the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ), to join the CCJ as a Judge, filling the vacancy created by the untimely retirement on 31 December 2023 of Mr Justice Jacob Wit, who died on 16 January 2024. She is expected to take the oath of office in October 2024.
In a release the CCJ said Dr. Ononaiwu is an attorney-at-law with over 20 years’ experience at the Bar. In particular, she has specialist expertise in Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Law and International Law, including International Trade Law, and varied legal experience as an adjudicator, litigator, legal advisor, and university lecturer.
Apart from her international trade law experience, Dr. Ononaiwu has expertise in Commercial Law, having worked in the international business and financial services sector as the Director, Value Proposition Development at Invest Barbados.
She also served as a Vice-Chair of the International Chamber of Commerce Digital Standards Initiative Legal Reform Advisory Board. Further, at the start of her legal career, Dr Ononaiwu worked as counsel in the Constitutional and Legislative Affairs Division of the Attorney General’s Chambers in Jamaica.
Dr Ononaiwu has lectured in International Trade and Investment Law, Public International Law, and Criminal Law at The University of the West Indies. Her academic work includes publications in the areas of International Trade Law, Investment Law, Public International Law, and Constitutional Law.
Most recently she served as the Director, External Trade, CARICOM, leading the coordination of the organisation’s external trade policy. During her tenure, she advised CARICOM and its Member States on international trade and investment issues and was a negotiator for the Community in negotiations of international trade agreements. She also has experience as an international trade adjudicator, having served as a member of a panel that adjudicated a World Trade Organisation dispute.
Dr Ononaiwu is a Rhodes Scholar and holds the degrees of Doctor of Philosophy in Law from the University of Oxford; Master of Laws from the University of Cambridge; and Bachelor of Laws (First Class Honours) from The University of the West Indies, as well as a Legal Education Certificate of Merit from the Norman Manley Law School.
During the recruitment process, CCJ said it received applications from The Bahamas, Great Britain, Canada, Nigeria, Dominica, Jamaica, Sri Lanka, Suriname, and Trinidad and Tobago. Of the applications received, four candidates, three females and one male, were shortlisted for further consideration and subsequently interviewed by the entire membership of the Commission in Port of Spain in person.
The RJLSC is currently conducting recruitment exercises for further appointments to the Bench, including the post of President to replace Justice Saunders who will retire in 2025.
