{{Short description|none}} {{Use dmy dates|date=November 2014}} {{Infobox official post | post = Attorney General | body = Belize | native_name = | insignia = | insigniasize = | insigniacaption = | insigniaalt = | flag = | flagsize = | flagalt = | flagborder = | flagcaption = | image = | caption = | imagesize = | alt = | imagecaption = | incumbent = Anthony Sylvestre S.C | acting = | incumbentsince = 1 July 2023 | department = Attorney General's Ministry <!--| style = The Honorable --> | type = | status = | abbreviation = | member_of = House of Representatives <br /> Cabinet | reports_to = Governor-General of Belize <br /> Prime Minister of Belize | residence = | seat = | nominator = Prime Minister of Belize | appointer = Governor-General of Belize | appointer_qualified = | termlength = 5 years | termlength_qualified = | constituting_instrument = Belize Constitution | precursor = | inaugural = Vernon Harrison Courtenay | formation = | founder = | named_for = | first = | last = | abolished = | succession = | unofficial_names = | deputy = | salary = | website = {{url|www.agm.gov.bz/}} | footnotes = }} The '''Attorney-General of Belize''' is a cabinet-level official who acts as the principal legal adviser to the government of Belize.<ref name="Constitution">{{cite book|url=http://www.belizelaw.org/e_library/constitution_05.html|chapter=Part V: The Executive|title=The Constitution of Belize|publisher=Attorney-General of Belize|access-date=20 April 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120209104453/http://www.belizelaw.org/e_library/constitution_05.html|archive-date=9 February 2012|url-status=dead}}</ref>
==Overview== The position of AG is outlined in Section 42 of the Constitution of Belize, which requires that the AG have been qualified for at least five years to practice as an advocate in a court of unlimited jurisdiction in the Commonwealth of Nations or Ireland. Civil proceedings for and against the State are taken in the name of the Attorney General.<ref name="Constitution"/>
Prior to 2010, the constitution also required that the AG be a member of the House of Representatives or the Senate of Belize. As part of the Belize Constitution (Seventh Amendment) Bill, the government proposed to remove this restriction; the same bill also proposed to replace the right of appeal to the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council with the Caribbean Court of Justice, and to allow dual citizens to become members of Parliament.<ref name="News520100223">{{cite news|url=http://edition.channel5belize.com/archives/28686|title=Senators raise more questions about Attorney General|work=News 5 Belize|date=23 February 2010|access-date=20 April 2012}}</ref> The thinking behind this amendment was that an unelected AG could avoid becoming embroiled in partisan politics.<ref name="News5200906022">{{cite news|url=http://edition.channel5belize.com/archives/1360|title=Former attorney general speaks about AG post|work=News 5 Belize|date=22 June 2009|access-date=20 April 2012}}</ref>
Then-AG Wilfred Elrington, who concurrently held the post of Minister of Foreign Affairs and Minister of Foreign Trade, justified the proposed changes by pointing out that he was already overworked due to his three positions, and that changing the requirement would allow the PM to tap the best talent from the private sector to become AG. However, in the House, Mark Espat (PUP) criticised the bill as creating a special privilege for lawyers to get around the ordinary electoral process on their way to the Cabinet, while Said Musa stated that the change should be unnecessary given that the PM already had the power to appoint a 13th member to the Senate; despite these concerns, the bill passed the House (though with the dual-citizenship MP provisions stripped out.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://edition.channel5belize.com/archives/28518|title=Sparks fly over lawyer's appointment as attorney general|work=News 5 Belize|date=19 February 2010|access-date=20 April 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://7newsbelize.com/sstory.php?nid=16287|title=Feisty Debate Over Seventh Amendment Bill|work=7 News Belize|date=19 February 2010|access-date=20 April 2012}}</ref> In the Senate, Henry Gordon and Godwin Hulse expressed concern over this change, but the bill passed the Senate as well by a vote of eight-to-two with two abstentions.<ref name="News520100223"/><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.amandala.com.bz/index.php?id=9589|first=Adele|last=Ramos|title=Belize Senate approves Caribbean Court of Justice|work=Amandala|date=26 February 2010|access-date=20 April 2012}}</ref>
==List of attorneys-general== {{Expand list|date=April 2012}}
===British Honduras (1862–1973)=== *Alexander Campbell Onslow (1878–1880) *Henry Rawlins Pipon Schooles (1880–1883) <ref>{{London Gazette|issue=24861|page=3804|date=6 July 1880}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mocavo.co.uk/The-County-Families-of-the-United-Kingdom-Ed-59/899441/1220|title=County Families of the UK|publisher=Mocavo|access-date=27 September 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150928183103/http://www.mocavo.co.uk/The-County-Families-of-the-United-Kingdom-Ed-59/899441/1220|archive-date=28 September 2015|url-status=dead}}</ref> *William Meigh Goodman (1883–1886) *Charles Reginald Hoffmeister (1886–1893) *Leslie Probyn (1893–1896) *Frederic Mackenzie Maxwell, KC (1896–1907) **''Henry Eugene Walter Grant (acting) 1902–1903'' **''Colin Rees Davies (acting) (1905–?)'' *Colin Rees Davies (1907–1913)<ref>{{Cite journal|url=https://heinonline.org/HOL/LandingPage?handle=hein.journals/solicjo51&div=56&id=&page=|title=General Index|journal=Solicitors' Journal and Weekly Reporter|volume=51|page=831}}</ref> *Lancelot Henry Elphinstone (1913–1919) *George O'Donnell Walton (1919–1921) *Cyril Gerard Brooke Francis (1921–1924) *Hon. Willoughby Bullock (acting?) c. 1925-?1928 *Frédéric Pierre Genève, KC (1927–?) **''Sidney Alexander Roger McKinstry (acting) (December 1930–February 1931)'' **''Sidney Alexander Roger McKinstry (acting) (February 1931–?)'' *Sidney Alexander Roger McKinstry, 1932–c.1941 <ref>{{cite news|title=Kingston Gleamer|date= 12 April 1938|url=https://newspaperarchive.com/kingston-gleaner-apr-12-1938-p-31/}}</ref> **O.L. Bancroft, acting, 1941 <ref name=UFDC>{{cite web|url=https://ufdc.ufl.edu/AA00011470/00002/345?search=bancroft|title=British Honduras Gazette|access-date=25 August 2019}}</ref> *Harold John Hughes, 1941–1950 <ref>{{London Gazette|issue=38878|page=1667|date=4 April 1950}}</ref> *Cyril George Xavier Henriques, 1950–1956<ref>{{cite book|title=The Catholic Lawyer|page=82}}</ref> *Charles Francis Henville, OBE, QC, 1956–1965 *John Kingsley Havers, QC c. 1966–1973
===Belize=== *Vernon Harrison Courtenay, c. 1974–c. 1979 *Said Musa, 1979–1984 under PM George Cadle Price<ref name="musa">[http://caribbean.halloffame.tripod.com/Said_Musa.html Said Musa - Caribbean Hall of Fame]; accessed 12 May 2015</ref> *Hubert Elrington, 1984–1986 under PM Manuel Esquivel<ref name="sec">[https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1496818/000107878212002338/f8k090612_8k.htm FORM 8-K PUB CRAWL HOLDINGS, INC.], U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, 6 September 2012; accessed 12 May 2015.</ref> *Dean Barrow, 1986–1989 under PM Manuel Esquivel<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.thecommonwealth.org/YearbookInternal/171998/head_of_government |title=Belize - Head of Government: The Hon Dean Oliver Barrow, Prime Minister |publisher=Commonwealth Secretariat |access-date=12 April 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130105121004/http://www.thecommonwealth.org/YearbookInternal/171998/head_of_government/ |archive-date=5 January 2013 |df=dmy }}</ref> *Glenn Godfrey 1989–1993 under PM George Cadle Price *Dean Barrow, 1993–1998 (second) under PM Manuel Esquivel<ref name="udp">[http://udp.org.bz/who-we-are/our-leaders/ Our Leaders|United Democratic Party], United Democratic Party; accessed 12 May 2015.</ref> *Godfrey Smith, 1999–2003 under PM Said Musa<ref>{{cite news|url=http://edition.channel5belize.com/archives/22008|title=Attorney General holds legal summit|work=News 5 Belize|date=16 November 1999|access-date=30 July 2012}}</ref> *Eamon Harrison Courtenay SC, 2004–c. 2007 under PM Said Musa<ref name="News5200906022"/><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.sanpedrosun.com/old/04-012.html|title=Prime Minister repositions Ministers|work=San Pedro Sun|date=15 January 2004|access-date=30 July 2012}}</ref> *Francis Fonseca, c. 2007 under PM Said Musa<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.toandos.com/Belizeinfo.html|title=2007 Belize Cruise|publisher= US Department of State|access-date=13 September 2015}}</ref> *Wilfred Elrington, 2008–2010 under PM Dean Barrow *Bernard Q. Pitts, 2010–2012 under PM Dean Barrow<ref name="News520120314">{{cite news|url=http://edition.channel5belize.com/archives/68041|title=B.Q. who no longer; AG Elrington resumes post|work=News 5 Belize|date=14 March 2012|access-date=20 April 2012}}</ref> *Wilfred Elrington (second), 2012–2015 under PM Dean Barrow<ref name="News520120314"/> * Vanessa Retreage, 2015–2017 under PM Dean Barrow<ref>{{cite web |url=http://lovefm.com/2015/11/09/pm-barrow-appoints-first-ever-female-attorney-general-for-belize/ |title=PM Barrow Appoints First Ever Female Attorney General for Belize - Love FM – News & Music Power |website=lovefm.com |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151112202102/http://lovefm.com/2015/11/09/pm-barrow-appoints-first-ever-female-attorney-general-for-belize |archive-date=2015-11-12}} </ref> * Michael Peyrefitte, 2017–2020 under PM Dean Barrow<ref>{{cite news |last1=Cowo |first1=Janelle |title=Outgoing Speaker of the House Sworn-in as New Attorney General |url=https://www.sanpedrosun.com/government/2017/01/03/outgoing-speaker-house-sworn-new-attorney-general/ |access-date=17 March 2025 |work=The San Pedro Sun |date=3 January 2017 |language=en}}</ref> *Magali Marin-Young, 2020–2023 under PM Johnny Briceño<ref>{{cite news |title=Belize’s Attorney General to step down {{!}} Loop Caribbean News |url=https://caribbean.loopnews.com/index.php/content/belizes-attorney-general-step-down |access-date=17 March 2025 |work=Loop News |date=June 7, 2023 |language=en}}</ref> *Anthony Sylvestre, 2023–present under PM Johnny Briceño<ref>{{cite news |title=Anthony Sylvestre Sworn In as Belize’s New Attorney General |url=https://lovefm.com/anthony-sylvestre-sworn-in-as-belizes-new-attorney-general/ |access-date=17 March 2025 |work=LOVE FM (Belize) |date=July 3, 2023}}</ref>
==References== {{reflist}}
==External links== *[https://web.archive.org/web/20160304063722/http://www.nationalassembly.gov.bz/index.php/parliament-archives/doc_download/355-meeting-of-23rd-february-2010 Senate of Belize Debate on the Belize Constitution (Seventh Amendment) Bill], 23 February 2010
{{Belize topics}} {{Caribbean in topic|Attorney General of}} {{Americas topic|Attorney General of|countries-only=yes|title=Attorneys-General of the Americas}} {{Attorneys General of British overseas territories}}
Category:Attorneys-general of Belize Attorney-general