A devastating advocate, a visionary leader, a brilliant jurist – those were the words used to describe the late former Chief Justice Michael de la Bastide.

This came from current Chief Justice Ivor Archie as he spoke at Mr de la Bastide’s official funeral at the Church of the Assumption this morning.

Also paying tribute was CCJ President Justice Adrian Saunders who says they were extremely fortunate to have Mr de la Bastide as the first CCJ President.

In August 2004, Justice de la Bastide as sworn in as the CCJ’s first President.

His son, Christian de la Bastide, also spoke at the funeral, thanking all who helped in making the funeral possible, noting the intricacies involved in an official funeral.

The funeral was attended by several dignitaries, including government ministers and members of the judicial system.

Michael de la Bastide passed away on March 30th, 2024 at the age of 86.