Flowers Remanded to Belize Central Prison

Flowers was brought to court just before four this afternoon, and there was the usual Police confusion which seems to surround all major cases. After about forty-five minutes of waiting for Flowers to be logged in and assigned a Court, CIB officers jumped back in their vehicle and sped off, presumably when the instruction was given for the charge to be changed. Bradley told News Five that confusion and delay aside, he expected his client to be arraigned today, and off to the Belize Central Prison shortly after.

Richard “Dickie” Bradley, Attorney for Mark Flowers

“The new rules put in by the Chief Justice and the Supreme Court is that they are in fact required to provide him with a basic summary of what is the allegation against him. You may have seen for example in the case of Mister Mason that they provided information that had nothing with the charge of murder. So you are required to provide, when you are giving a person a charge sheet, that there is in fact a formal complaint because the police have in fact been detaining people, arresting people and actually charging them when there is no complainant. Nobody noh make no complain. They hear this yah one and hear dah one and pick yo up and charge yo. So as a way of protecting the citizens of this country, the Chief Justice has introduced some new rules and one of the requirements is provide a brief summary of the allegation against a person. So that’s what the officers were doing; they were typing it and we were saying, listen, Mister Flowers this is unfair. I mean he’s come in and he is here a long time, we want to get over to the courts, because the court wah close directly…you know he is here over an hour. But it wasn’t the charge sheet; he had already been given the charge sheet.”

Mike Rudon

“So do you expect your client to still be arraigned today?”

Richard “Dickie” Bradley

Richard “Dickie” Bradley

“Well bwai this is Belize, anything can happen. Who would believe that the head of the GSU would be facing such serious charges? The Chief Magistrate is here and she has stayed back on many occasions in order to facilitate the process. When you are processed at the police department, there is a separate process in the courts in which they then log in, computerize, go through the book, make copies then pass up these matters so that a decision can be made as to which magistrate will deal with the matter. We are hopeful that he will be arraigned today and as you see the van is on standby to head to her majesty’s prison.”

Mike Rudon

“What are your plans in terms of going to the Supreme Court for bail?”

Richard “Dickie” Bradley

“If God is willing, he will be granted bail shortly.”

Bradley will apply for Supreme Court bail for Flowers. We are told the hearing could be as early as Friday.