F.I.U. case against Belize Bank adjourned again

The case of the Financial Intelligence Unit versus the Belize Bank and its President, Philip Johnson, was once again adjourned, this time until the next Director of Public Prosecutions decides exactly where the matter will be tried. The case involves seventy-nine counts allegedly committed by the bank in failing to report what the F.I.U. calls suspicious transactions, namely certain deposits accepted dating as far back as 2002. Attorney for the defendants, Senior Counsel Eamon Courtenay, made successful arguments in court today that supported an adjournment until the decision is made.

Eamon Courtenay, Attorney, Belize Bank
“The law requires that the Director of Public Prosecutions determine how these charges are to be dealt with. They are either to be dealt with in the Magistrate’s Court or in the Supreme Court and up to now he has not yet decided how they are to be dealt with. And so Mr. Pitts quite rightly indicated that as far as he could see that has not been done and so the matter has been put off for a month for that to be decided and until that is done we can’t move forward.”

Marion Ali
“One of the factors delaying this matter is that there is no current D.P.P. sitting in place?”

Eamon Courtenay
“Well section 27 (2) speaks of the D.P.P. making the decision. I spoke to the previous D.P.P. and he said that he has made no such decision and so I don’t know whether there is a person acting or holding over but I believe that there is no substantive person in the post. This is a very important procedural aspect that has to be dealt with and until it’s dealt with we can’t move forward.”

Senior Counsel B.Q. Pitts has been engaged by the F.I.U. to prosecute the case.