Jose Luis Robles Beltran - remember him? He's the Mexican soldier who was caught at the Corozal Free Zone three weeks ago with a loaded pistol and twenty thousand US dollars in cash.
Initially, his wrangling-in and working-of the legal system has made news - but since then it has slipped form the headlines. Luckily though, Robles Beltran has not slipped out of custody.
And today the Director Of Public Prosecutions appeared in the Supreme Court before Justice Adolph Lucas to have a review of the two matters heard at the Magistrate's Court level.
In the first he pleaded guilty to firearm and ammunition possession, was sentenced to two years - not the required five - and then filed notice of appeal and was set free. Justice Lucas set a timeline for hearing that matter, ordering the Corozal magistrate Clive Lino to file all the relevant documents, the giving Robles Beltran 15 days to file an appeal, then have a date set for hearing before the Supreme Court. That will take about 30 days, and he was ordered to be remanded until it is heard.
As regards the second case where Magistrate Clive Lino threw out a possession of counterfeit currency charge after Robles Beltran had pleaded guilty and before evidence was presented - Justice Lucas quashed that decision - which had been roundly criticized as irregular.
Lucas also ordered that the matter is to be tried on the 19th. of April before a different magistrate in the same Corozal District. Robles Beltran is also remanded until the hearing of that matter….
