Supreme Court Justice Courtenay Abel did not have to make a ruling in a civil suit brought against businessman Chad Eckert. That’s because the parties managed to put their differences aside and agree on common grounds. The U.S. investor, who eventually surfaced as the owner of Apex, was being sued by former business partner Gustavo […]
During the dispute between Gustavo Cardenas and Chad Eckert, Cardenas reportedly removed the cotton and seed to another location away from the farm. This prompted Eckert to file a criminal complaint against Cardenas. However, according to Eckert’s Attorney, Darrell Bradley, as part of the settlement, the criminal charges will be dropped in good faith. […]
Almost eight years ago, attorney Richard Stuart and his wife Maria were brutally stabbed to death at their home on Graduate Crescent in West Landivar. The criminal trial against the two men believed to have committed the gruesome double murder was scheduled to commence today before Supreme Court Justice, Colin Williams. However, the trial against […]
A peculiar case was argued before the Caribbean Court of Justice today. It boils down to whether or not local tour operators must pay GST though cruise lines are exempted. At an appeal hearing today, businessman David Gegg, owner of Cruise Solutions Limited and Discovery Expeditions Limited, is arguing that he against paying GST. In […]
Representing David Gegg and his two companies is Senior Counsel Eamon Courtenay. Courtenay made the point that this is not a case in which Gegg is avoiding to pay tax, but about determining whether the General Sales Tax Act applies to tour operators. Eamon Courtenay, Attorney for Appellants “I emphasize your honors this is […]
We also asked Cayo Central Area Representative, Rene Montero, whether he supports taking the Belize Guatemalan dispute for resolution by the International Court of Justice. It is no secret that many Government Ministers are pro-I.C.J., including Montero. The minister told News Five on Monday that the I.C.J. is the only way the problem can be […]
The civil suit against P.U.P. Orange Walk South Area Representative, Jose Abelardo Mai, was back before Supreme Court Justice Courtenay Abel today. Oral submissions were to be heard, however, there was a minor hiccup which favored both legal sides. The parties did not have each other’s physical copies of supporting authorities on the case and […]
Another round of litigation between the indigenous Maya community and Government of Belize is before the high court, despite a consent order from the Caribbean Court of Justice in 2015. On Tuesday, spokeswoman Cristina Coc, who represents the Maya Leaders Alliance and the Toledo Alcalde’s Association, told the media that government has done very little […]
According to the Solicitor General, the process of working through the terms of the consent order is fairly lengthy. He says that while the Maya Leaders Alliance is entitled to an opinion, the fact that the Caribbean Court of Justice is still very much involved in the process means that there is still a long […]
A lawsuit involving the Government of Belize, brought against the Office of the Attorney General by residents of Jalacte Village, is being heard before Justice Michelle Arana. On Wednesday, submissions were made by attorneys representing members of that Mayan community. They argued that government failed to seek the free, prior and informed consent of villagers […]
During the trial, expert testimony was provided by a number of individuals, including engineering consultant Avondale Moody, for the Ministry of Works. Among the reasons given for the placement of a BAHA outpost in Jalacte is its proximity to the Belize/Guatemala border and the fact that there has been an outbreak of med-fly disease in […]
On Monday, an application was filed in the Supreme Court on behalf of the Belize Bank seeking permission for a judicial review to be conducted to compel Prime Minister Dean Barrow to pay the outstanding ninety million dollar Universal Health Services debt. While government’s attorneys objected to the request, Chief Justice Kenneth Benjamin has granted […]
Attorneys for the Government of Belize are fighting yet another lawsuit filed in the Supreme Court by the indigenous Maya community of southern Belize. The claim brought against the Office of the Attorney General was first reported in April 2016 and has to do with a sixty-acre swath of land in Jalacte Village that was […]
According to Coc, farmers in Jalacte Village are no longer able to access and use lands that were traditionally set aside for agriculture because the road that has since been built bisects their properties. The BAHA substation, says Coc, is located in the center of the village and also poses an inconvenience to residents who […]
So what is the role of the Toledo Land Rights Commission in the latest legal battle over communal land rights? That’s what we attempted to find out from the MLA spokesperson. Isani Cayetano “I have a question to ask with respect of the Toledo Land Rights Commission. In the context of what is taking […]
The Caribbean Court of Justice has handed down a decision ordering that a conviction and subsequent five-year sentence imposed on Gilbert Henry for causing dangerous harm, be restored. The judgment comes after Henry completed the sentence and as a result, he will not face additional jail time or any other sanction. In 2008, Henry was […]
Henry challenged his conviction, as well the sentence, before the Court of Appeal of Belize, making a case that the substantial delays in the trial and appellate processes violated his constitutional right to a fair trial within a reasonable time. Attorney Kevin Arthurs, who represented Henry, also sought clarity before the CCJ in respect of […]
A team from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, as well as representatives from Haiti and Tuvalu, began a round of consultations this morning with local officials from various government agencies, including the D.P.P.’s office. The working visit is to assess Belize’s standing in areas relating to legislation, corruption and law enforcement. The […]
While there are areas in which Belize’s laws are consistent with the expectations of the UNCAC treaty, Solicitor General Nigel Hawke says that there is also work that needs to be done to bring local legislation up to par with international requirements. He cites the international transfer of prisoners as one such area. Nigel […]
A U.S. expat Clifford Kirk remains hospitalized in the United States where he was flown to for emergency medical treatment following an attack on his life. Kirk’s house is located about ten miles from San Pedro and last Thursday, he was gravely injured during a home invasion. Today, a trio of alleged robbers was taken […]
Orange Walk South P.U.P. Area Representative Jose Abelardo Mai took the stand for a cross-examination in a civil suit brought against him by Nissan Arana, the son of a Julia Arana who Mai knocked down on April first, 2016. Julia was crossing the Phillip Goldson Highway in Trial Farm Village when Mai collided into her […]
The civil trial against Abelardo Mai began on Tuesday before Justice Courtenay Abel. Previous to that, the parties entered mediation; however, all efforts failed. News Five understands that the Arana family was asking for a hefty financial sum as compensation for Julia Arana’s death. In court today Mai maintained that the accident was no fault […]
Orange Walk South P.U.P. Area Representative, Jose Abelardo Mai, is before Supreme Court Justice Courtenay Abel. The lawsuit against Mai stems from a traffic accident which occurred on the Phillip Goldson Highway on April first, 2016. Mai knocked down fifty-nine-year-old Julia Arana while driving through Trial Farm Village in the Orange Walk District. Arana was […]
After deliberating for six hours, a jury has found Rudolph Smith Junior not guilty of rape and aggravated assault. The unanimous decision was reached on Tuesday evening in the courtroom of Justice Colin Williams. Smith charges date back to November 2011, when a fifteen-year-old girl accused him of the offences which she claimed had occurred […]
It did not go well today in court for Brandon Cattouse. Since April twenty-sixth, 2018, the elite cyclist has been on a provisional suspension from riding after he tested positive for E.P.O., recombinant human erythropoietin. E.P.O. is frequently used by athletes as a performance-enhancing drug. Today, in the Supreme Court Room of Justice Sonya Young, […]
