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And, switching now to what is alleged to be a gross abuse of police powers, a Belize city man claims to have been locked up for 6 days in Belmopan's police station without even being given the courtesy of an explanation for his charge.
We spoke to Cecil Martinez and his attorney Norman Rodriguez last night. They told us that they plan to sue the department for wrongful detention. Here's more:
Cecil Martinez, Detained For 6 days
"When he told me that I was wanted for the crime of obtaining property by deception I spoke to him briefly in regards to the matter that was before me and I voluntarily went to Belmopan you know when he told me that some inspector Shal wanted to see me."
Reporter:
"What is this property that they allege you obtained by deception?"
Cecil Martinez, Detained For 6 days
"I'm not sure because he didn't disclose to me in brief what was the crime that he wanted to talk to me about all he explained to me was that I was wanted for obtaining property by deception."
"He told me, that immediately when I arrived at the Belmopan police station he told me that you will be detained, so he detained me and I was there Wednesday night, Thursday night, Friday night, Saturday night, Sunday night, Monday night. I was arraigned in front of a magistrate in Belmopan at the court in Belmopan and immediately upon reading the summary of facts she immediately dismissed the matter, she immediately dismissed the matter and I sought legal advice and this is where we are today and I will sue the police department because of my integrity and my character and I up to now I. Still don't know what or where inspector Shal got his information from or what is the crime."
Norman Rodriguez, Attorney-At-Law
"Whenever someone calls me to go see them at the police station or when they are detained somewhere, the first thing after they are released that comes to my mind as strange is that they were not charged but in this case he was charged bu the matter was dismissed by the Magistrate, that puts him in the position almost like the person who was not charged because now he has the opportunity to approach the high court of Belize and ask that a judge decide if he was wrongfully detained and if that judge decides that has happened then he is entitled to compensation because the constitution does say that any person who is wrongfully detains another must pay that person compensation.
"There are many allegations of police wrongful detention and when those come up before the court it is not those police who pay Orr the police department, it is the government of Belize and I am saying this so that people can understand that it is they're own money paying for the wrongful acts of offices when that is established in a court of law."
Martinez says his charge was made all the worse when the cops refused him water and refused to accept the meals his family attempted to bring for him.
