Anthony Thomas Aquinas Carmona (born 7 March 1953) is a Trinidadian politician who was the fifth
President of Trinidad and Tobago from 2013 to 2018. Previously, he was a High Court Judge at the Supreme Court of Trinidad and Tobago, and he served as a
Judge of the International Criminal Court from 2012 to 2013.
Early life and education
Anthony Carmona was born on 7 March 1953 in
Fyzabad
Fyzabad is a town in southwestern Trinidad, south of San Fernando, west of Siparia and northeast of Point Fortin. It is named after the town of Faizabad in India. Colloquially it is known as "Fyzo" by many people.
History
Fyzabad was founde ...
, in South Trinidad, eldest of six children of Dennis Stephen and Barbara Carmona. He is of
African,
Mestizo
( , ; fem. , literally 'mixed person') is a term primarily used to denote people of mixed European and Indigenous ancestry in the former Spanish Empire. In certain regions such as Latin America, it may also refer to people who are culturall ...
and
Cocoa Panyol descent. He graduated from Santa Flora Government Primary School and
Presentation College, San Fernando.
He attended the
University of the West Indies
The University of the West Indies (UWI), originally University College of the West Indies, is a public university system established to serve the higher education needs of the residents of 18 English-speaking countries and territories in t ...
and the
Hugh Wooding Law School
The Hugh Wooding Law School (HWLS) is a law school in Trinidad and Tobago.
History
Named for Trinidad and Tobago jurist and politician Hugh Wooding, HWLS is one of three law schools empowered by the (Caribbean) Council of Legal Education to a ...
between 1973 and 1983.
[Curriculum Vitae](_blank)
. ICC. Retrieved 13 December 2011. He is married to
Reema Harrysingh who is an economist 17 years his junior. They have two children.
Career
After graduating from Hugh Wooding Law School in 1983, Carmona worked as a State Counsel. In 1989, he became a Senior State Attorney. From 1994 to 1999, he was first Assistant then Deputy Director of Public Prosecutions. From 2001 to 2004, he was an Appeals Counsel at the Office of the Prosecutor at the
International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia
The International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) was a body of the United Nations that was established to prosecute the war crimes in the Yugoslav Wars, war crimes that had been committed during the Yugoslav Wars and to tr ...
in
The Hague
The Hague ( ) is the capital city of the South Holland province of the Netherlands. With a population of over half a million, it is the third-largest city in the Netherlands. Situated on the west coast facing the North Sea, The Hague is the c ...
the
International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda
The International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR; ; ) was an international court, international ''ad-hoc'' court established in November 1994 by the United Nations Security Council in United Nations Security Council Resolution 955, Resolutio ...
in
Arusha
Arusha is a city in Tanzania. The city is the Capital city, capital of the Arusha Region. It has a population of 617,631 people. .
Carmona received
World Peace Culture Award on 4 May 2019.
High Court Judge
In 2004, he was appointed a High Court Judge at the Supreme Court of Trinidad and Tobago.
International Criminal Court
On 12 December 2011, he was
elected as a
judge
A judge is a person who wiktionary:preside, presides over court proceedings, either alone or as a part of a judicial panel. In an adversarial system, the judge hears all the witnesses and any other Evidence (law), evidence presented by the barris ...
of the
International Criminal Court
The International Criminal Court (ICC) is an intergovernmental organization and International court, international tribunal seated in The Hague, Netherlands. It is the first and only permanent international court with jurisdiction to prosecute ...
. He won the office in the first ballot in the
Assembly of States Parties with 72 of 104 votes; 70 votes were needed. Carmona took office on 11 March 2012. He resigned the office on 18 March 2013, the day he assumed office as President of Trinidad and Tobago.
President of Trinidad and Tobago
Nomination

On 3 February 2013, Prime Minister
Kamla Persad-Bissessar
Kamla Susheila Persad-Bissessar Senior Counsel, SC Member of parliament, MP (, born 22 April 1952), often referred to by her initials KPB is a Trinidadian lawyer, politician and educator who has twice served as the sixth List of prime ministers ...
announced that the ruling party would nominate Carmona to succeed outgoing President
George Maxwell Richards.
The following day,
Keith Rowley, leader of the opposition
People's National Movement
The People's National Movement (PNM) is the longest-serving and oldest active Politics of Trinidad and Tobago, political party in Trinidad and Tobago. The party has dominated national and local politics for much of Trinidad and Tobago's hist ...
, indicated that his party supported Carmona's nomination. However, following this announcement, the People's National Movement questioned Carmona's eligibility to serve as President, given his work outside the country between 2001 and 2004. (To be eligible to be elected president, a person must be "ordinarily resident" in the country for the ten years prior to election.)
Attorney General
In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general (: attorneys general) or attorney-general (AG or Atty.-Gen) is the main legal advisor to the government. In some jurisdictions, attorneys general also have executive responsibility for law enf ...
Anand Ramlogan responded by saying that the government had consulted with legal experts who expressed the opinion that Carmona met this requirement.
References
External links
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Carmona, Anthony Aquinas
1953 births
Cocoa panyols
International Criminal Court judges
Living people
Presidents of Trinidad and Tobago
Trinidad and Tobago Roman Catholics
Trinidad and Tobago people of Spanish descent
21st-century Trinidad and Tobago judges
Trinidad and Tobago Senior Counsel
University of the West Indies alumni
20th-century Trinidad and Tobago lawyers
21st-century Trinidad and Tobago politicians
People from Siparia region
Trinidad and Tobago judges of international courts and tribunals
People educated at Presentation College, San Fernando