Former Court of Appeal President Ian Forte dies
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Retired Court of Appeal President Justice Ian Forte died on June 5, 2026.
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Justice Ian Forte and Attorney General Marlene Malahoo Forte share a moment at a celebratory reception held at the Terra Nova All-Suite Hotel in St Andrew on April 30, 2026, marking her appointment to the office. Justice Forte, a retired Court of Appeal President, died on June 5, 2026.
Retired Court of Appeal President Justice Ian Forte has died at age 89.
The Jamaica Labour Party (JLP), in expressing sadness at his passing on Friday, described Forte as a distinguished jurist whose contributions helped shape Jamaica's legal system and wider Commonwealth jurisprudence.
The governing party also extended condolences to Forte's family, particularly his widow, Marlene Malahoo Forte, Member of Parliament for St James West Central and former Cabinet minister.
In a statement, JLP Communication Taskforce Chairman Senator Abka Fitz-Henley described Forte as "a legal luminary whose light shone brightly for many years in positively advancing his country and the wider Commonwealth jurisprudence".
"We are grateful for his contribution to Jamaica and the region," the statement said. "Justice Forte was not only an eminent jurist but a humanitarian who approached people he came across with kindness, thoughtfulness and sincerity."
Justice Forte enjoyed a legal career spanning more than five decades and held some of the highest judicial offices in Jamaica and across the Caribbean.
He served as Jamaica's Director of Public Prosecutions from 1977 to 1988 before joining the Court of Appeal, where he served from 1988 to 1999. He later became President of the Court of Appeal, from which he retired in 2005.
Justice Forte judicial service also extended across the region. He served as a judge of appeal in the Cayman Islands Court of Appeal between 2004 and 2011 and was appointed to the Turks and Caicos Islands Court of Appeal in 2014.
During his tenure on the bench, he was awarded the honour of Order of Jamaica.
Justice Forte also served as a member and panellist of the Financial Services Commission Appeal Tribunal in Jamaica.
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