Former Chief Justice Dr. Abdulai Conteh passed away this morning at the age of 79.
He served as Belize's 28th chief justice from 2000 to 2010. But before that he was a politician in the country of his birth - Sierra Leone - and served there as Vice President until a violent military coup forced him to flee in a canoe, wearing - as the legend goes - not much more than a t-shirt.
Following his service in Belize, he returned to Sierra Leone and, prior to his death, he suffered a short period of illness.
A release from the Senior Courts states that his tenure was, quote, "marked by his unwavering dedication to the rule of law, his fidelity to the constitution of Belize, and his excellent contributions to the jurisprudence of Belize."
Francis Fonseca - who was Attorney General for part of Coneth's tenure reiterated these sentiments today.
Francis Fonseca, Minister of Foreign Affairs
"We were very sad to note the passing of Chief Justice Conteh. He was the man who is no stranger to Belizeans. In my view, he served with great dignity, integrity, his legal acumen is highly regarded in our legal community so we're very saddened to hear of his passing. For the decade or so that he served in Belize, he did great service to our jurisdiction and contributed tremendously to the growth of our jurisprudence in Belize so we acknowledge him and we pay respect to his life and his contribution to Belize."
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