Belize

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LEGAL RESOURCES


LEGAL TRAINING RESOURCE CENTER


INTRODUCTION

Background

Belize (formerly British Honduras) is an independent Commonwealth country on the eastern coast of Central America. Belize is bordered on the north by Mexico, on the south and west by Guatemala, and on the east by the Caribbean Sea.

Type of system

Belize is a parliamentary constitutional monarchy. The structure of government is based on the British parliamentary system, and the legal system is modeled on the common law of England. The symbolic head of state is Queen Elizabeth II, who holds the title Queen of Belize. The Queen resides in the United Kingdom, and is represented in Belize by the Governor-General. Executive authority is exercised by the cabinet, which advises the Governor-General and is led by the Prime Minister of Belize, who is head of government. Cabinet ministers are members of the majority political party in parliament and usually hold elected seats within it concurrent with their cabinet positions.

The bicameral National Assembly of Belize is composed of a House of Representatives and a Senate. The 31 members of the House are popularly elected to a maximum five-year term and introduce legislation affecting the development of Belize. The Governor-General appoints the 12 members of the Senate, with a Senate president selected by the members. The Senate is responsible for debating and approving bills passed by the House.

Legislative power is vested in both the government and the Parliament of Belize. Constitutional safeguards include freedom of speech, press, worship, movement, and association. The judiciary is independent of the executive and the legislature.[1]

Members of the independent judiciary are appointed. The judicial system includes local magistrates grouped under the Magistrates' Court, which hears less serious cases. The Supreme Court (presided by the Chief Justice) hears murder and similarly serious cases, and the Court of Appeal, hears appeals from convicted individuals seeking to have their sentences overturned. Defendants may, under certain circumstances, appeal their cases to the Caribbean Court of Justice.

The Legal Aid Situation

State-sponsored legal aid

On November 27 1981 the Legal Aid Center was opened in Belize City to serve the legal needs of the poor. The Center administers legal aid and provides legal advice, assistance, referral and representation for those who are eligible. The center is geared towards low-income persons who meet eligibility guidelines and handles a full range of case types and services. General cases include family, land, civil and estate matters. Murder, civil matters that exceed $20,000, and company and other commercial matters are excluded from the center's jurisdiction.

The type of service provided by the center depends largely on the type of legal problem facing the individual client. Most clients get immediate advice on their problem, including things they could do in order to resolve the problem on their own. Others are referred to an agency or service which can more appropriately resolve their immediate crisis or long-term problems.

The Center is governed by a local Board of Directors. While initially 51% of this Board was comprised of Bar Association Members, today the Bar Association makes up the entire Board. While the Center is usually staffed by one full-time attorney, a secretary, and an office manager, at present only an office manager is on staff at the Center. It is reported that the Bar Association has plans to implement a mandatory roster system at the center to ensure that an attorney is present at all times.

The Legal Aid Center was initially funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), the Caribbean Justice Improvement Project (CJIP), the Canadian University Services Overseas (CUSO), and the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA). Today, the Center is funded completely by the Bar Association. There is also a $20 consultation fee, which is discretionary and is based on the matter at hand and the person's financial capability. This assists with the operational expenses. The Legal Aid Center is located in the Sir Albert Staine Building, 1 Treasury Lane, Belize City.

Supreme Court legal aid

In capital cases, legal aid is provided by the Registrar of the Supreme Court. In such cases, the Registrar appoints an attorney to act on the accused's behalf. The maximum fee paid to such attorney is $1,000 BZE, which covers a retainer fee as well as a per diem allowance.[2]


Sources of Defendant's Rights

National sources

The Constitution

The Constitution of Belize recognizes and protects a range of rights. The preamble to the Constitution states that “the Nation of Belize is founded upon, among other things, the principles of faith in human rights and fundamental freedoms and the dignity of the human person and the equal and inalienable rights to which all members of the human family are endowed.”


This is set out principally in Part II of the Constitution which details the protection of fundamental rights and freedoms – including that of defendants. Section 3 (of Part II) provides as follows and sets out the framework for other fundamental rights and freedoms:

3. Whereas every person in Belize is entitled to the fundamental rights rights and and freedoms of the individual, that is to say, the right, whatever his race, place of origin, political opinions, colour, creed or sex, but subject to respect for the rights and freedoms of others and for the public interest, to each and all of the following, namely:

a. life, liberty, security of the person, and the protection of the law; b. freedom of conscience, of expression and of assembly and association; c. protection for his family life, his personal privacy, the privacy of his home and other 
property and recognition of his human dignity; and d. protection from arbitrary deprivation of property.


Basic human rights particular to defendants that are protected include:

- The presumption of innocence (until proven guilty); - The right to be informed of the nature and particulars of the charges; - The right to defend oneself before an independent and impartial court within a reasonable amount of time; - The right to have the hearings and trial conducted in public; - The right against self-incrimination and double jeopardy and, in more serious cases, right to a trial by jury.


Sections 5(2), 5(3) and 5(4) of Part II of the Constitution in particular regulates as follows:

5(2) Any person who is arrested or detained shall be entitled:

a) to be informed promptly, and in any case no later than forty-eight hours after such arrest or detention, in a language he understands, of the reasons for his arrest or detention; b) to communicate without delay and in private with a legal practitioner of his choice and, in the cue of a minor, with his parents or guardian, and to have adequate opportunity to give instructions to a legal practitioner of his choice; c) to be informed immediately upon his arrest of his rights under paragraph (b) of this subsection; and d) to the remedy by way of habeas corpus for determining the validity of his detention.

5(3) Any person who is arrested or detained:

a. for the purpose of bringing him before a court in execution of the order of a court; or b. upon reasonable suspicion of his having committed, or being about to commit, a criminal offence under any law, and who is not released, shall be brought before a court without undue delay and in any case not later than seventy-two hours after such arrest or detention.

5(4) Where any person is brought before a court in execution of the order of a court in any proceedings or upon suspicion of his having committed or being about to commit an offence, he shall not be thereafter further held in custody in connection with those proceedings or that offence save upon the order of a court.


The Belize Criminal Code

The Belize Criminal Code (Chapter 101 of the Laws of Belize) is a codification of criminal law, definitions, interpretation and criminal law applicable in Belize. It is more substantive than procedural.

International sources

Belize is party to and has ratified a number of international legal instruments that forms the source of defendant’s rights, including (but not limited to):

- The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR);

- The Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW);

- The International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (CERD);

- The Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC);

- The Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD).


THE JUDICIAL SYSTEM