Kenneth Benjamin (judge)

Kenneth Andrew Charles Benjamin 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]

The Honourable 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

Benjamin was born 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

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

1. "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.
2. Trapp, Adele (2011-07-29). "Guyanese jurist, Kenneth Benjamin, 56, to succeed Conteh". Amandala. Retrieved 2020-09-19.
3. "CJ Kenneth Benjamin Retires; Who Takes Up the Post?". Channel 5 Belize. 20 March 2020.
4. "BIO DATA – HON. KENNETH BENJAMIN, CHIEF JUSTICE OF BELIZE" (PDF). Summit of High Courts 2018.
5. "Grenada has a new judge". Grenada Informer. 2007-09-08. Archived from the original on 2012-02-15. Retrieved 2012-04-18.
6. "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.
7. Trapp, Adele (2011-09-30). "High hopes for new Chief Justice, Kenneth Benjamin". Amandala. Archived from the original on 2011-10-11.