Samantha Matute appointed as Deputy Solicitor General

The Attorney General’s Ministry has announced the appointment of Samantha Matute as Belize’s new Deputy Solicitor General, effective today, December 15.  The appointment was made by the Judicial and Legal Services Commission.  According to a press release issued from Belmopan, the Ministry says the decision reflects the Commission’s confidence in Matute and recognizes her long record of service within the public sector. Matute entered the public service in January 2006 as a Customs Officer. She later pursued legal studies at the University of Guyana, where she earned a Bachelor of Laws with Distinction, before completing her Certificate of Legal Education at the Norman Manley Law School.  After returning to government service, she served as Deputy Registrar at the Belize Companies and Corporate Affairs Registry from September 2012 to September 2014. She was subsequently transferred to the Litigation Unit of the Attorney General’s Ministry in September 2014, where she has since represented the Government of Belize in numerous legal matters.  The Ministry notes that Matute has appeared in more than forty Court of Appeal cases on behalf of the government, covering a wide range of legal areas, including land disputes and constitutional matters. She has also been involved in most government appeals to the Caribbean Court of Justice since 2015, either as lead or instructing counsel, and has appeared in all cases filed in the CCJ’s Original Jurisdiction during her tenure.  Matute’s new role places her among the senior legal officers responsible for advising and representing the state on major legal issues.