Nearly two years after the Magistrate's Court was set on fire a former employee has been indicted to stand trial for one of the biggest cases of arson in Belize's history. Magistrate Earl Jones today ordered former cashier Ivan Ayuso to stand trial for setting the blaze that destroyed the historic building. Ayuso will face a judge in the Supreme Court in the next session on two counts of arson and until then he was released on $10,000 bail.
Why did it take so long to get an indictment? Well there was 35 witnesses including Chief Magistrate Herbert Lord, the Postmaster General, and just about the entire court staff.
The police believe Ayuso's motive for setting the blaze was cover up misappropriations Of funds. He has already answered those charges and will face the arson charges in October.