Association of Defense Attorneys Wants to Help with Irregularities

Michelle Trapp

The Association of Defense Attorneys agrees, however, that bail could have been denied for various reasons, including for protection of the defendant or that the person poses as a flight risk.  But the association is also concerned about the interpretation of the law.

Michelle Trapp, Vice President, Association of Defense Attorneys

“Having to do with public statements, open court statements that were made saying that bail is not a right. And so we decided to deal with that issue as well, especially because of this first issue and what was said previously to this issue on Tuesday. But we saw it in court and we want to just remind the court that in Belize, bail is not a privilege, it is a right and it is a right guaranteed by our constitution which is the supreme law of the land. And we need to draw out that even though the court is the guardian of the constitution; our association is the watchdog because we are the ones, more than any other attorney who practices before the court as it relates to criminal matters, who has to ensure at all times that the constitution is protected. A criminal defense attorney and the constitution go hand-in-hand because what you are representing is the constitutional protections of the client.”