Nationality: Trinidad and Tobago (Latin American and Caribbean States)
Term: 11 March 2012 - 18 March 2013
Elected from: List A on 12 December 2011
Biography
Judge as of 11 March 2012, for a term of nine years. Assigned to the Trial Division. Elected from the Group of Latin American and Caribbean States, list A
Judge Carmona holds a Bachelor of Arts (Hons) degree in English and Political Science, Mona, Jamaica, and a Bachelor of Laws (Hons), Cave Hill, Barbados, both from the University of the West Indies (UWI). In 1983, he was admitted to practice at the Bar of Trinidad and Tobago.
He has served as a prosecutor at both the national and international levels for some 21 years. At the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions, Trinidad and Tobago (1983-2000), he attained the posts of Assistant Director of Public Prosecutions, Deputy Director of Public Prosecutions, and also served as Acting Director of Public Prosecutions. From 2001 to 2004, he held the post of Appeals Counsel in the Office of the Prosecutor at the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) and the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR). In this capacity, he successfully prosecuted appeals of persons convicted of crimes within the jurisdiction of the Tribunals, namely generals, camp commanders, soldiers and politicians.
He was the Legal Advisor in criminal law to Trinidad and Tobago's President Arthur N.R. Robinson on issues relating to the ICC and participated in meetings of the Preparatory Committee on the establishment of the International Criminal Court. He represented Trinidad and Tobago in regional and international fora on crime, corruption, extradition, drug-trafficking and money laundering, delivering papers and lectures on same, as well as on witness protection, the advancement of the criminal justice system, criminal law enforcement and the administration of justice.
In addition, he was a member of the Trinidad and Tobago Legislative Review Committee, as well as of the National Alcohol and Drug Abuse Programme responsible for national demand reduction programmes. He was appointed a One-Man Disciplinary Tribunal into alleged misconduct of senior civil servants.
At the ICTY, he served as Vice-President of the Staff Union and represented UN personnel in disciplinary proceedings before the United Nations Administrative Tribunal, New York.
He was also a Senior Tutor in the Department of Government for some four years and a Lecturer in the Department of Language and Linguistics, both at UWI, St. Augustine.
In 2000, the status of Senior Counsel ("Silk") was conferred upon the judge. Judge Carmona was appointed a judge of the Supreme Court of Trinidad and Tobago in 2004 and has been serving as a judge in the Criminal Division for the past eight years.
