Former Chief Justice and first President of the Caribbean Court of Justice Michael de La Bastide has passed away.

News reaching 103.1FM is that de La Bastide, who was 86 years old, died on Saturday morning.

Prime Minister Dr. Keith Rowley was one of the first to publicly express his condolences via a Facebook post: “The nation has lost a good citizen. One who dedicated his life to making this nation better. It is my hope that as we celebrate his life of accomplishment, other citizens will step into the footprints that he made and that many more good citizens are born every day”, Rowley stated.

Mr. de La Bastide was awarded Trinidad & Tobago’s highest national honour, the Trinity Cross, in August 1996 and served as Chief Justice from 1995 to 2002.

The CCJ also issued a statement “CCJ President, the Honourable Mr Justice Adrian Saunders, remembers Mr Justice de la Bastide, saying, “It was an extraordinary honour and privilege to have worked alongside President de la Bastide. His razor-sharp mind, his prodigious knowledge of the law and his tremendous experience
exerted a profound influence on me. I express deepest condolences to his dear wife and family.” As we pay homage to the great leadership Mr Justice de la Bastide provided our institution, the Court will open a condolence book to the public on Monday, 8th April 2024. We mourn this sad loss to the region and express deepest sympathies to his loved ones. May he rest in peace.”

Read More about Mr. de la Bastide here: Michael Anthony de la Bastide (polanc.com)