Attorney General of Trinidad and Tobago v Tobago House of Assembly (Trinidad and Tobago) [2025] UKPC 8

Case summary

Robert Strang – Instructed by Simons Muirhead Burton LLP for the Appellant 

Howard Stevens KC & Daniel Goldblatt – Instructed by Charles Russell Speechlys LLP (London) for the Respondent 

Case ID

JCPC/2020/0003

Parties

Appellant(s)

Tobago House of Assembly

Respondent(s)

Attorney General of Trinidad & Tobago

Issue

Whether the Court of Appeal of Trinidad and Tobago erred in finding that: i) section 25(2) of the Tobago House of Assembly Act did not empower the Executive Committee of the Tobago House of Assembly (THA) to enter into such contracts as would constitute a ‘build-own-lease-transfer’ (BOLT) arrangement; and ii) the THA could only decide to enter into a BOLT arrangement after complying with the requirements of the Central Tenders Board Act.

Facts

The THA accepted a proposal for the construction and financing of a government building by means of a BOLT agreement. The Attorney General subsequently sought to challenge that decision, and then the notion more broadly that it was within the power of the THA to enter into such an arrangement.

Date of issue

15 January 2020

Judgment details

Judgment date

11 February 2025

Neutral citation

[2025] UKPC 8

Judgment links

• Judgment on BAILII (HTML version)

Appeal

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Justices

 

Hearing dates

Start date = 28 November 2024

End date = 28 November 2024