Kenneth Andrew Charles Benjamin (born 19 March 1955) is a Caribbean jurist. A dual national of Guyana and Antigua and Barbuda, he served as Chief Justice of Belize from 15 September 2011[1][2] to 20 March 2020.[3]
Kenneth Benjamin Chief Justice of Belize (Retd.) | |
|---|---|
 in 2019 | |
| 10th Chief Justice of Belize | |
| In office 15 September 2011 – 20 March 2020 | |
| Nominated by | Dean Barrow |
| Appointed by | Colville Young |
| Preceded by | Samuel Awich (acting) |
| Succeeded by | Michelle Arana (acting) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Kenneth Andrew Charles Benjamin 19 March 1955 Georgetown, British Guiana |
| Alma mater | University of the West Indies (LLB), Hugh Wooding Law School |
Career edit
Benjamin was born on 19 March 1955[3] in Georgetown, Guyana.[4] In 1980 and 1981, Benjamin served as a magistrate in Georgetown, Guyana. He went on to serve as Assistant Judge Advocate for the Guyana Defence Force.[2] From 1988, he continued his work as a judge in Antigua, including from 1991 to 1993 as Chief Magistrate of Antigua.[2][5] Following that, he was named as a judge of the High Court of the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court.[5] In this capacity he served in Montserrat and the British Virgin Islands in the succeeding years.[2] From 2002 to 2007, Benjamin's position as ECSC High Court Judge took him to Grenada; he was succeeded there by Francis Cumberbatch.[5] In 2007, he relocated to St. Lucia to become the presiding judge of the High Court of St. Lucia's criminal division.[2]
In July 2011, following the retirement of Abdulai Conteh, Attorney-General B. Q. Pitts announced that Benjamin would be Belize's new Chief Justice.[2] In the interim, Samuel Lungole Awich served as acting CJ.[6] Pitts indicated his hopes that Benjamin, at the time 56, would be able to hold his position until he reached the mandatory retirement age of 65.[2][7]
Personal life edit
Benjamin graduated from the Hugh Wooding Law School of the University of the West Indies in Trinidad and Tobago in 1977. He is married and has a daughter and a son.[2]
References edit
- ^ "Guyanese Chief Justice, Kenneth Benjamin opens Supreme Court for Belize". The Guyana Press. Archived from the original on 2012-07-12. Retrieved 2012-04-18.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Trapp, Adele (2011-07-29). "Guyanese jurist, Kenneth Benjamin, 56, to succeed Conteh". Amandala. Retrieved 2020-09-19.
- ^ a b "CJ Kenneth Benjamin Retires; Who Takes Up the Post?". Channel 5 Belize. 20 March 2020.
- ^ "BIO DATA – HON. KENNETH BENJAMIN, CHIEF JUSTICE OF BELIZE" (PDF). Summit of High Courts 2018. Archived from the original (PDF) on 5 November 2018.
- ^ a b c "Grenada has a new judge". Grenada Informer. 2007-09-08. Retrieved 2012-04-18.[permanent dead link]
- ^ "Chief Justice designate, Kenneth Benjamin makes first appearance in court area". The Belize Guardian. 2011-09-15. Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2020-09-19.
- ^ Trapp, Adele (2011-09-30). "High hopes for new Chief Justice, Kenneth Benjamin". Amandala. Archived from the original on 2011-10-11.
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