Too Many Foreign Judges, Only One Belizean

The National Trade Union Congress of Belize has sounded the alarm on serious concerns regarding the composition of High Court bench.  As it stands, there is only one Belizean judge who sits on the bench, that is Justice Michelle Arana.  The remaining seventeen judges are non-Belizeans.  In a statement issued by the umbrella organization earlier today, it states, “this shows the level of regression that Belize has come to.  We are now dependent on foreigners to administer justice in Belize.  These foreigners do not have any cultural references or ties to our society yet enjoy the perks of these high offices.  The NTUCB deems this akin to the days of colonialism”.  This evening, News Five spoke with President Luke Martinez about the organization’s concerns.

Luke Martinez

Luke Martinez, President, NTUCB

“In our press release, we highlight the seriousness of the fact that out of eighteen, we only have one Belizean and that is very, very serious.  And we highlight the fact that the Judicial and Legal Services Commission has to do more.  It can’t be that we are handing over an important arm of our government, the judiciary to foreign nationals.  One would argue that we shouldn’t be using given our commitment under the Treaty of Chaguaramas, as far as our commitment to CSME and even Commonwealth.  But you have to agree that the spirit of these commitments are not for us to hand over our judicial and legal systems to foreigners.  As a matter of fact, we state in our press release that it’s tantamount to colonialism and you’d go back prior to independence where the police force and the judiciary were governed by foreign nationals.”