And while we had an opportunity, we asked the senior staff of the Institute of Archaeology to comment on the Noh Mul case file, which finally saw charges laid last week Thursday.
As we've shown you, this case has picked up interest both nationally and internationally, and the authorities have received their fair share of criticism about the slow progress of the case. They've also been accused of deliberate foot-dragging since Denny Grijalva, the Managing Director of De-Mar's Stone Company, is a UDP political aspirant.
We asked the Associate Director of Research and Education to explain why it took so long in the first place:
Dr. John Morris - Associate Director for Research and Education, Belize Institute of Archaeology
"We have done all of our preliminary investigations of the destruction of the mound - as you are well aware the police finally lay charges on several individuals of that company and now we are in the process of preparing the rest of the documents and evidence, the rest of the materials that are going to be needed. The actual case goes to court and we're happy that the charges were finally laid and it just goes to show that in Belize it may take some time to get things done but eventually we will."
Daniel Ortiz
"I heard the commissioner of police comments saying that this particular investigation was unique - that it made it a bit difficult technically for his officers because the institute of Archaeology had to provide them with the means of evidence against these individuals. Can you explain to us what that process entailed?"
Dr. John Morris
"Well it's a technical process with all due respect to the police - they don't know much about the Archaeology and so in helping them out in defining what an ancient monument is and helping them out in establishing the fact that these mounds are destroyed, the physical aspects of it, determining the age of the monument and the building, determining what was there before - all of these things took time for the police to convert it into the kind of evidence that it is required in court. It's not a very simple matter as some people might think it is. Then to train to police in terms of what the evidence is, in particularly if you pick up a piece of broken shard then you don't know what it is - I must say that I worked hand in hand with the police. They were very patient with us while explaining archaeological scientific matters and then I was very patient with them while they explained police procedures - it took a while but I think we're getting there."
Another issue for which the authorities have been criticized about is the stiffness of the punishment for the mauling of a national monument. Dr. Morris told us that NICH and the Institute of Archaeology are looking at how they can press for legislative reform to make the penalties fit the crime. He stressed that the authorities are only able to bring the charges which are in the law – and that particular law is about half a century old.
Email
Print