George Gelaga King

George Gelaga King (29 October 1932 - 5 April 2016) was a judge in Sierra Leone, West Africa, and recently a justice of the Special Court for Sierra Leone.

Early life and education George Gelaga King was born in Zaire to Sierra Leonean parents from the Creole ethnic group who were settled in the then Belgian Congo. King was subsequently educated at local schools in Freetown and at the University of London.

Early career King was President of the Sierra Leone Court of Appeal and of the Court of Appeal of The Gambia. He served as Sierra Leone’s Ambassador to France, Spain, Portugal and Switzerland from 1974 to 1978, and was at the same time Sierra Leone’s Permanent Representative to UNESCO. Between 1978 and 1980 he served as Sierra Leone’s Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the United Nations. The Appeals Court Judges also selected Justice Emmanuel Ayoola of Nigeria as Vice-President at the same time that King was re-elected.

He subsequently served on the Roster of Judges of the Residual Special Court. He was honored at Princeton by African Student organization.