Justice Minnet Hafiz-Bertram, a judge in the Court of Appeal, and a former Supreme Court Justice, has been appointed as the acting President of the Court of Appeal. She becomes the first woman to hold that office as she replaces the retired former President, Justice Manuel Sosa, who held the post for almost 10 years.
In a first, Justice Hafiz-Bertram was sworn in virtually as the Acting President yesterday by Governor-General, Sir Colville Young. The ceremony was witnessed by Attorney General Magali Marin-Young - also virtually. And while she ascends - it's only really as a placeholder. A release says Justice Hafiz-Bertram will act as President of the Appeal Court until such a time when Prime Minister John Briceno advises the Governor-General of his appointee for a permanent President, after consulting with the Leader of the Opposition.
Justice Hafiz-Bertram is originally from Guyana. She was sworn in as a justice of the Court of Appeal in 2013. Apart from serving as an Appeal Court judge and a Supreme Court judge, she was Registrar General and Registrar of the Supreme Court.
Her predecessor, Justice Manuel Sosa, was the first Belizean to hold that senior judicial post. We understand that Sosa, who was first sworn in back in January 2011, holds the longest tenure as president of the Court of Appeal. We note also that Sosa retired without any fanfare or courtroom commemoration - as is often customary within the legal fraternity.
Presently, both the acting Chief Justice and the acting president of the court of appeal are women.
