In February 2022 Judge Malcolm Simmons was appointed resident judge and Her Majesty’s Coroner of the Falkland Islands, South Georgia, the South Sandwich Islands and the British Antarctic Territory. He is also Acting Supreme Court Judge. In addition to his judicial role, he sits as Chair of the Criminal Justice Committee and Chair of the Sentencing Guidelines Committee. Judge Simmons continues to advise on matters relating to justice reform.
Asked about his new role, Judge Simmons said “I am delighted to return to the bench and it is an honour to be appointed to serve the people of these Islands. This is a challenging role with a varied caseload including criminal, family, civil and probate. In addition, I am the coroner for a large geographical area.”
The significance of the Falkland Islands to the UK is further demonstrated by the recent appointment of a senior Foreign Office diplomat to replace the outgoing Governor. Alison Blake CMG, former UK Ambassador in Kabul will become Governor in July.
Judge Malcolm Simmons served as an international judge from 2004 to 2017 hearing war crime and serious and organised crime cases. He presided in some of the most complex war crime and serious organised crime cases in Bosnia & Herzegovina and Kosovo during their troubled post-war periods. He served as President of EU International Judges from 2014 to 2017. He is particularly well known for his judicial reform work and has more that 20 years of experience training judges, prosecutors and lawyers. In addition to his work in the Maldives, Judge Malcolm Simmons has worked in judicial reform projects in Bosnia & Herzegovina, Kosovo, Serbia and Pakistan.
Follow him on Twitter: @SimmonsJudge