... and absolute court of appeal in civil and criminal matters for several independent countries that were once part of the British Empire, the U.K. overseas territories, and the British Crown dependencies [ref. to unit I for chart of the hierarchical position of the Privy Council in the Commonwealth Caribbean judicial system]. In the Caribbean, these independent constitutions provide for the existence and sovereignty of the Privy Council as a court of appeal, "Any ... citizen has the absolute right to appeal to the Privy Council -2- against a decision of the Court of Appeal in any civil or criminal matter."3 "The Privy Council shall have such powers and duties as may be conferred or imposed upon it by or under this Constitution or any other law."4 However, via provisions of these Constitutions, there are certain limitations to the appellate jurisdiction of the Privy Council. These limitations are based on an ...

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