Tenure of office

(1) Subject to the provisions of this section, any person appointed as Ombudsman shall hold office for a period of three years and shall, at the expiration of such period, be eligible for reappointment. (2) A person appointed as Ombudsman may at his own request be relieved of office by the Governor-General and shall in any case, subject to the provisions of subsections (3) and (4) of this section, vacate office on attaining the age of sixty-five years. (3) The Governor-General acting on the recommendations of the National Assembly as aforesaid may permit an Ombudsman who attains the age of sixty-five years to continue in office until he has attained such later age, not exceeding seventy years, as may be agreed between them. (4) Notwithstanding that he has attained the age at which he is required by or under the provisions of this section to vacate his office, the Ombudsman may continue in office for such period after attaining that age as the Governor General, acting on the recommendations of the National Assembly as aforesaid, may specify, in order to enable the Ombudsman to give his decision or do any other thing in relation to any investigation he was conducting before he attained that age. (5) Nothing done by the Ombudsman shall be invalid by reason only that he has attained the age at which he is required by this section to vacate his office. (6) The Ombudsman may be removed from office only for inability to discharge the functions of his office (whether arising from infirmity of body or mind or any other cause) or for misbehaviour, and shall not be removed except in accordance with the provisions of sub-section(7) below. 8 (7) If each House of the National Assembly by resolution decides that the question of removing the Ombudsman from office ought to be investigated then, (a) the Governor-General shall refer the matter to the Belize Advisory Council which shall sit as a tribunal presided over by the Chairman of the Council; and (b) the Belize Advisory Council shall enquire into the matter and report on the facts to the Governor-General and advise the Governor General whether the Ombudsman ought to be removed under this section. (5) If the question of the removal of the Ombudsman from office has been referred to the Council, the Governor-General may suspend the Ombudsman from performing the functions of his office and any such suspension may at any time be revoked by the Governor-General and shall in any case cease to have effect if the Council advises the Governor- General that the Ombudsman ought not to be removed from office.