Official Announcement: Passing of the Hon. Kenneth (Ken) Handley AO CStJ KC

Nuku'alofa, Tonga

Official Announcement: Passing of the Hon. Kenneth (Ken) Handley AO CStJ KC

Hon. Kenneth (Ken) Handley AO CStJ KC

It is with considerable sadness that the Supreme Court of Tonga announces the death, on Saturday 18 July 2026, of the Hon. Kenneth (Ken) Handley AO CStJ KC, a former Judge of the Court of Appeal of Tonga. He served on the Court of Appeal Bench for at least seven years until his retirement in 2019.

On the Bench, he was unfailingly courteous. Many of the judgments he authored for the Tongan Court of Appeal are noteworthy for their scholarship and all are marked by the precision of his writing. He was devoted to the interests of the Pacific and was a jurist of outstanding talent who served our Kingdom faithfully for many years. He did so with courtesy and with a steadfast desire to ensure that the interests of justice prevailed.

The Court also acknowledges with respect that he lived a long and distinguished life of 90 years, a life marked by service and devotion to justice.

The Supreme Court of Tonga extends its deepest condolences to his family as we remember a life well lived. May he rest in peace and rise in glory.

Hon. Malcolm Bishop KC 

Lord Chief Justice of the Kingdom of Tonga

Pacific Islands
Supreme Court of Tonga
Hon. Kenneth (Ken) Handley AO CStJ KC

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