7 News Belize

Cops and DPP Going Separate Ways
posted (November 25, 2014)
As we've been telling you since yesterday, the killing of the Panamanian Diplomat, Jose Rodrigo De la Rosa Stanford, is a high-profile case being treated in a sensitive manner.

And while you might think that all authorities at the state level are being engaged to ensure that the prosecution airtight when it goes to the Supreme Court, that's not so.

That's what we found out today when we contacted the Director of Public Prosecutions to inquire about her office's input into the investigation at this time. She told us that her office has not been sought for any advice on how the investigator may proceed to ensure that a prosecutable case is brought against the accused person.

Typically, after a case is investigated, the DPP's Office would advise investigators on what evidence they would need to lead a successful prosecution.

But, as you may remember Prime Minister Dean Barrow appeared on national TV the day after those 4 deadly shootings in Belize City on September 18. In his comments, he criticized the delay created when investigators had to consult with the Crown Counsels DPP's Office on whether or not to lay charges against accused person.

Well, it seems that the Police Department took that position very seriously, and 6 days later the Head of the National Criminal Investigations Branch, Assistant Police Commissioner Russell Blackett sent an internal police memo to all formation commanders around the country to enforce that position.

Blackett said, quote, "The Practice of consulting the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions as to whether to charge a person for murder or any other crime must cease forthwith." End quote.

The memo continues, "Whether an investigator is satisfied that sufficient evidence (exists) to support the charge, the Formation Commander must be consulted prior to and must be the person to give the approval for the charge(s) to be laid."

And while it allows for less delay with the laying of charges, it could create situations where the DPP's Office is crippled when trying to prosecute accused persons at the Supreme Court. There are no plans presently to restore the previous arrangement.

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