Senior Diplomat Alexis Rosado Charged With Sexual Offenses
He holds the position of co-agent for Belize when we present our memorial to the I.C.J. in response to Guatemala, but today, a dark cloud looms over the future of Ambassador Alexis Rosado. The senior diplomat was escorted before Belmopan Magistrate, Janeli Villanueva-Pennil this afternoon where he was read a slew of charges, including seven counts of Aggravated Assault and two counts of Rape. The complainant is said to be a woman in her twenties who alleges that the incidents date back several years from when she was a minor. Ambassador Rosado appeared before Magistrate Villanueva-Pennil, who offered him bail of five thousand dollars and adjourned the matter until July sixth. Today, Rosado was accompanied by attorney, Rene Montero Junior, while Director of Public Prosecutions, Cheryl-Lyn Vidal appeared on behalf of the Crown. The allegations are serious against a senior diplomat who has long-standing service for Belize and who is well-respected in the diplomatic corps. Before he was assigned to work with the Belize Team at the I.C.J. in The Hague, Ambassador Rosado served as Ambassador of Belize to Guatemala and as non-resident Ambassador to Costa Rica, Honduras and Panama. He has held the post of Chief Executive officer in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Belmopan for six years, at which time he was also head of the joint Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade for four years. His other past titles include Ambassador to Belgium, Co-Chair of the Belize-Guatemala Joint Commission, Belize’s Alternate Presidential Commissioner to CELAC and to SICA, High Commissioner to the United Kingdom, Ambassador to the European Commission and European Union and Permanent Representative to the World Trade Organization. Whether the charges brought today against him have any bearing on Rosado’s current posting to the Belize case at the I.C.J. is uncertain. We’ve contacted the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Eamon Courtenay who indicated that a press release on the matter would be forthcoming.
