Caribbean states have committed to advancing the development of a regional framework for Joint Investigation Teams (JITs) following a two-day legal forum hosted in Barbados.
During the forum, hosted by the Office of the Attorney General of Barbados and sponsored by the Inter-American Development Bank and the Regional Security System (RSS), mechanisms for strengthening cross-border financial investigations and asset recovery were examined.
Director of Strategic Services and International Affairs at the RSS, Rhea Reid-Bowen, said one of the major outcomes of the forum was an agreement among participating countries to advance the initiative.
“At the conclusion of the Legal Forum, there was a firm commitment from countries to advance the concept of Joint Investigation Teams in the Caribbean. It was agreed that the Model Framework Agreement would be completed and forwarded to Attorneys General for review. Recommendations indicated that Joint Investigation Teams (JITs) would significantly benefit the Caribbean region and should be adapted from the Eurojust model to suit regional legal systems and operational realities. Furthermore, it was recommended that a pilot JIT involving at least two jurisdictions be established in the coming months,” Mrs. Reid-Bowen stated.
Addressing some of the key challenges discussed during the forum, she explained that while differences in legislative frameworks across Caribbean jurisdictions could affect cross-border investigations and asset recovery efforts, these challenges were surmountable.
“The operationalisation of a JIT mechanism requires participating countries to agree on criteria for evidence admissibility, information disclosure, and the terms and conditions under which foreign law enforcement agencies participating in the JIT will be deployed within their respective territories across the Caribbean. The Model Framework Agreement must therefore incorporate standards that are sufficiently flexible and broad to guide competent authorities in crafting agreements tailored to specific JITs established in the future,” Mrs. Reid-Bowen explained.
Emphasising that a regional JIT framework would significantly improve the speed and coordination of criminal investigations across the Caribbean, she noted that the forum agreed the Concept Paper on JITs should be presented to national Cabinets for endorsement. It was further recommended that the proposed framework be submitted to other regional bodies, such as the CARICOM Council for National Security and Law Enforcement (CONSLE), to secure broader political support.
“A regional JIT framework would improve cooperation by allowing competent authorities to gather and exchange evidence directly, without relying on traditional mutual legal assistance processes. It would also enhance intelligence sharing, operational coordination, and collaboration among prosecutors, judges, and law enforcement agencies across jurisdictions. Additionally, the framework would provide standardised procedures and agreements tailored to Caribbean legal systems, thereby reducing conflicts between parallel investigations,” the RSS official opined.
Looking ahead, Mrs. Reid-Bowen said the RSS would also explore potential opportunities for collaboration with Eurojust and EL PACTO to support cross-border investigations involving European and Latin American jurisdictions.