New appeal court judge takes oath

(CNS): The Cayman Islands Court of Appeal now has a fifth sitting judge following the appointment of Hon. Geoffrey Vos, QC, who took oaths of office and allegiance in the presence of H.E the Governor, Stuart Jack,  this week (Monday, 24 November). A leading member of the English Bar, Vos is also a judge of the Courts of Appeal of Jersey and Guernsey.

He also sits as a deputy high court judge in England and Wales, and was chairman of the Bar Council in 2007, according to a Governor’s Office release. Both the Chief Justice and Acting President Forte congratulated Justice Vos on his appointment and welcomed him to the jurisdiction, with the Chief Justice observing, “Justice Vos is no stranger to the Cayman Islands, having appeared as leading counsel in a number of cases here in the past.”

Justice Vos joins Ian Forte and Elliott Mottley for the court’s November to December session. Of the three new appointees to the Court, he is first to take office. The other two are the new President of the Court, the Rt. Hon. Sir John Chadwick; and Justice of Appeal, Dr the Hon. Abdulai Conteh. The new appointments take the Appeal Court’s strength to five justices.

 Also present at the swearing in were the Chief Justice Hon. Anthony Smellie, QC;  Acting President of the Court of Appeal,the Hon. Justice Ian Forte; Justice of Appeal, the Hon. Justice Elliott Mottley,QC; and Court of Appeal Registrar Audrey Bodden.