Pio Marapi Teek (23 February 1947 – 10 August 2021)[2] was a Namibian judge and ombudsman.

Pio Marapi Teek[1]
Justice of the Supreme Court of Namibia
In office
28 May 2003 – 14 October 2005
Personal details
Born(1947-02-23)23 February 1947
Mariental, South West Africa[2]
Died10 August 2021(2021-08-10) (aged 74)
Windhoek
Children6 (1 daughter called Pia Teek)
Alma materUniversity of the Western Cape
University of Cambridge

Professional career

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Before Namibia's independence in 1990, Teek worked as a lawyer and campaigned primarily for black rights. From 1990 to 1992, Teek was Namibia's first ombudsman and in 1992 he became the first black high court judge. In 1999 he became President of the Court and on 28 May, 2003 he was appointed judge of the Supreme Court, the highest court in the country. Teek remained in this position until his early retirement on 14 October 2005.[3]

Allegations

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Teek was arrested on 31 January 2005 and charged with child sexual abuse in October 2005. After 13 years of negotiations, he was acquitted of all allegations at the end of 2018.[4][5]

He then sued the state, the public prosecutor and the police for reparations of 23 million Namibian dollars. The lawsuit was ultimately dismissed in 2021, a few weeks before his death.[6][7][8]

References

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  1. ^ "Teek v Minister of Justice". Namibia Legal Information Institute. 29 April 2021. Archived from the original on 15 January 2024. Retrieved 15 January 2024.
  2. ^ a b "Former judge Teek dies at 74". The Namibian. 12 August 2021. Archived from the original on 15 January 2024. Retrieved 15 January 2024.
  3. ^ "Pio Teek dies at 74". New Era. 12 August 2021. Archived from the original on 18 August 2022. Retrieved 15 January 2024.
  4. ^ Rickard, Carmel (22 February 2019). "Former top Namibian judge, cleared on all sexual misdemeanor counts by the Supreme Court, now wants to sue". AfricanLII. Archived from the original on 15 January 2024. Retrieved 15 January 2024.
  5. ^ "Supreme Court finally clears Teek". The Namibian. 4 December 2018. Archived from the original on 11 January 2024. Retrieved 15 January 2024.
  6. ^ "Ex-judge loses appeal in Supreme Court". The Namibian. 6 May 2021. Archived from the original on 15 January 2024. Retrieved 15 January 2024.
  7. ^ "Teek loses N$23m case against police, PG". The Namibian. 2 August 2021. Archived from the original on 15 January 2024. Retrieved 15 January 2024.
  8. ^ Rickard, Carmel (22 February 2019). "Namibia's retired Judge Pio Teek and his daughter lose defamation claim bid". AfricanLII. Archived from the original on 15 January 2024. Retrieved 15 January 2024.