BELMOPAN, Tues. Dec. 29, 2020– On Tuesday, December 29, the Government of Belize announced the appointment of Justice Minnet Hafiz Bertram as the acting President of the Belize Court of Appeal. Her appointment was done virtually by the Government General and was witnessed by Attorney General Magali Marin-Young.

The Guyanese-born attorney has sat on the Court of Appeal bench since 2013. She has also served as a Supreme Court judge, Registrar General, and Registrar of the Supreme Court, and had previously spent some time serving as a Crown Counsel in the Attorney General’s Ministry.  She is the first female judge to sit on the Court of Appeal in Belize, and now, is the first female to occupy the seat of president of this court.

Justice Hafiz-Bertram studied law in her home country of Guyana and at the Hugh Wooding Law School in Trinidad and Tobago.  She is a member of the bar in Trinidad and Tobago and Belize.

A release issued by the Government of Belize states, “Prime Minister Briceño intends to restructure and strengthen the judiciary in due course, and to advertise all permanent judicial appointments. The Prime Minister will consult with all stakeholders in the administration of justice before making any permanent judicial appointments. ”

Justice Hafiz-Bertram will act as President of the Court of Appeal until Prime Minister Briceño advises the Governor-General of a permanent appointment after consulting the Leader of the Opposition.