Five Years Later, PC Daniel Requena is Acquitted of Extortion

Thirty-seven-year-old Police Constable Daniel Requeña has been acquitted of a charge of extortion, five years after he was accused of obtaining money by force or coercion from a woman in Belize City.  The incident took place in 2017, when Estephania Gomez reportedly handed over eight hundred dollars for the release of her friends who were on police custody.  The money, according to the witness, was turned over to Sergeant Lenancio Bol, who subsequently passed away during the COVID-19 pandemic.  Gomez, under oath, told the court that she initially offered six hundred dollars to the officer who informed her that the sum was too little.  When she raised the amount by an additional two hundred dollars, they then agreed to meet at Li Chee Restaurant on Freetown Road.  Inside the police mobile at the time was PC Requeña.  When the policemen left, they were later intercepted by their colleagues on St. Mark Street where the money was retrieved from under the vehicle.  The rest was found near a drain.  Both men were subsequently placed on interdiction.  During the trial, however, Gomez informed the court that she did not wish to proceed with the matter.  In fairness to Requeña, Justice Ricardo O’Neil Sandcroft noted that while unrepresented, the jury of nine was instructed to find the accused not guilty.  Here’s a brief word with Requeña following his acquittal.

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