Gordon Ward

Who is Gordon Ward?

Sir Frederik Gordon Roy Ward OBE is a retired British judge who has served in various countries of the Commonwealth. He was Chief Justice of Tonga and a judge of the Supreme Court of Tonga. He resigned this post in protest at attempts to ban the Times of Tonga newspaper, a paper unsympathetic to the government, a move which he considered to be unconstitutional. On leaving this post, he took up a new position as the Chairman of the Appeal Court of Fiji, which he held until 2007.

Sir Gordon Ward is the current Chief Justice of Tuvalu. In May 2013 the Chief Justice ruled on the application of the Tuvaluan Opposition regarding the calling of a by-election for the vacant seat in Nui, which led to the Nukufetau by-election, 2013. The Chief Justice was forced to conduct the legal proceedings by email as a consequence of being unable to travel from New Zealand to Tuvalu via Fiji because he was refused a Fijian visa. The cause of the travel ban is uncertain. The Government of Tuvalu believes the problem is between Government of Fiji and Sir Gordon Ward and is seeking to resolve the matter with Fiji’s President.

Sir Gordon Ward has served as a judge on the Court of Appeal of the Solomon Islands.