PM speaks on the replacement of CJ Abdulai Conteh

abdulai conteh

Chief Justice Dr. Abdulai Conteh is less than a month and a half away from relinquishing his post as the highest judge in Belize’s Supreme Court.  His departure in September comes amidst contention between the Government of Belize and the Bar Association following a commitment made in March which would allow the association to have a say in judicial appointments including that of a new Chief Justice.  In a letter to the prime minister the Bar outlined a process it plans to implement for that purpose and said that it has put together a judicial committee that plans to meet with interested applicants.  Today P.M. Barrow said that the process of finding a replacement for the outgoing CJ has begun; however, the installation will not take effect until the beginning of next year.

Prime Minister Dean Barrow

“We have advertised including I believe in the Caribbean and naturally after the applications are in, assuming we get applications, I will go through the CVs and consider anything else that’s relevant.  I will in this process hope to be assisted by the attorney general and thereafter I would hope to be able to propose to the Leader of the Opposition, one of the applicants to be appointed by the Governor General as Chief Justice. We already have a kind of precedence established every time the incumbent has gone abroad he has left Mr. Justice Awich to hold over.  He’s abroad even as we speak and in fact Mr. Justice Awich has been appointed to act as Chief Justice until Chief Justice Conteh returns to the country, on I believe, the fifth of September.  I wouldn’t, I won’t, circumstances could change but the way things are I would see continuing with that particular formula if you will.  I would see Mr. Justice Awich acting as Chief Justice after Chief Justice Conteh leaves at the end of September until the new Chief Justice has been determined upon and until the new Chief Justice actually begins his tenure which I’m suggesting is more likely than not going to be starting first January 2011.”

Chief Justice Abdulai Conteh is set to retire in September when he turns sixty-five years old.  Conteh has indicated that he would not be hearing new cases and that he would be transferring part heard cases to other judges.