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Last night, a mere 5 days after he got bail, convicted money launderer Michael Coye, who was waiting for his Appeal hearing, passed away from a heart attack while receiving emergency medical treatment.

The family and their attorney has voiced very loudly that he had a diabetic condition, which couldn't be properly managed at the Belize Central Prison.

The rest of his family is devastated, and their loss is great, but it has resulted in the granting of bail for his daughter, Melonie Coye, who was also convicted of money laundering.

7News was there for the hearing which finished an hour and half ago, and we have the comments of their attorney on the result. Here's what he told us:

Arthur Saldivar - Attorney for Coye Family
"Certainly, considering the fact that Mr. Coye has died, and also the fact that when the bail hearing for the now deceased Mike Coye took place, that the Court of Appeal invited an application on behalf of Melonie Coye, one was submitted. Certainly, the death of Mike Coye expedited the hearing of this application, but it wasn't emergency in the sense that the application had been in for a few days before this matter was brought up. Nobody could have contemplated the demise of Mr. Coye at that time. In the pleadings in the application, and his affidavit, he urged the court that he knew that his time was getting short. There is no right to bail for a person convicted of a crime. The only time that bail is contemplated and granted is on the strength of the case, on appeal. So, the granting of bail is an indication of the strength of the case on appeal. As has been maintained by myself and my clients from the onset, they did not do anything wrong. They did not know of any criminal action taking place at their home, or at the business place, and in fact, none was proven in the court. So, today, recognizing this, the crown did not bother to oppose bail today having come to the realization that the case is weak. This was the first case that I took on as an attorney at the bar, practicing in my private practice, and certainly, it has been a saga. I have seen things that I only heard, but never saw I would see manifested in relation to our system."

So, how did it happen that a bright spot in the Coye saga take such a drastic turn for the worse? That's what Daniel Ortiz tried to find out:

Daniel Ortiz Reporting

6 days ago, Michael Coye was taken to the Court of Appeal for a bail application; he looked to be in good spirits. He was very optimistic about his chances, and eventually, the court agreed that he should go home with his family.

Michael Coye - Had Just Gotten Bail
"It's a great relief to be home, so that I can sit in my chair, eat a nice ham sandwich and drink a cup of coffee."

Arthur Saldivar - Attorney For the Coye Family
"Their Lordships after hearing the arguments believed that sufficient grounds existed for bail to be granted. Here is where we are, and certainly we are happy that they saw it our way."

But it wasn't a prolonged rest at all, he passed away last night.

Arthur Saldivar
"Last night, about minutes to 10, I had received a call where I was notified that Mr. Coye was experiencing respiratory problems. He couldn't breathe. The BERT Ambulance was called, and he was taken to the KHMH, where he suffered a massive heart attack, which ended his life. It's very sad; it's tragic because for the most part, his name and reputation was totally destroyed, and a lot of what led to him being in the condition he eventually came into was the utter depression and the sadness that came from suffering the loss of his name."

Earl Jones - CEO, Belize Central Prison
"It is very sad to hear that Mr. Coye has passed. I must extend my condolences to the family. We had tried desperately to get the courts and others involved to look at Mr. Coye's medical condition and to see if there is anything that could have been done. Eventually the Court of Appeal looked at it, and had decided to grant him bail."

His failing health and subsequent passing was foretold, and the state was well aware of Michael Coye's condition.

Arthur Saldivar
"Prior to the conviction in the Supreme Court, and even during the mitigation, it was made known to the court that he had chronic diabetes, requiring frequent insulin injections, and was on a special diet, one that the prison could not afford him."

Earl Jones
"He was well taken care of by our medical staff, the emergency medical technicians, the nurses, and doctors. As a matter of fact, he had spent a long time in the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital, where had undergone certain diabetic related problems. But, we had tried our best to make sure that his illness is addressed properly in the facility."

But he was convicted of Money laundering, and even though he and his daughter has maintained their innocence, he had to go to prison. While there, however, Coye was picked up a reputation of a model prisoner of sorts.

Earl Jones
"Mr. Coye was no problem within the prison. He was placed in one of the minimum security areas, and he was there without any problems. All during the entire stay that he was here, he was no problem. Because of his illness, we had to keep fighting to make sure that he received the care that he needed."

John Woods - Co-Chair, Board of Directors, Kolbe Foundation
"Here was a guy that came to prison under enormous stress, as you all know much more than I can ever know. And yet, he always seemed to be caring about the rest of the guys in his building. I know he was certainly a big help to me. The 1 or 2 times I visited Tango 5, he would take me around and he would tell me the story of everybody. He would say, 'This guy needs help,' and we would try and get him help. This guy has a kidney problem, and we were able to do those things. I visited him the 2 months that he was in the hospital, and he was just a very caring special guy."

His Appeal hearing will take place in February of next year, and it remains to be seen if his name and reputation will be restored to him, but he certainly thought it would.

Daniel Ortiz
"What's next for you knowing that part of the reason you got released was because the court felt that you had a strong case for appeal."

Michael Coye
"We have won the strong case of appeal that we were on and on February 24th. We are having a new case. We are set again to after what is right."

Daniel Ortiz
"If you should win your appeal does your family intend to sue the government for this entire ordeal you had to gone through?"

Michael Coye
"I can't answer that yet. We have to wait and see what happens first and then we go after that. I think we are good for a couple millions of dollars."

Arthur Saldivar
"It's sad. I will say this, that there are persons within our society, persons within authority who have blood on their hands at this point."

Despite what he perceived as persecution, Coye harboured no ill will against the prison and its authorities.

Michael Coye
"Thanks to Kolbe and all my friends at Tango 5 - have a good day."