Last week on Uncut, attorney Dickie Bradley raised the alarm about the Special Prosecutor Bill 2023 - which was approved by the house on Friday.
He pointed out that it explicitly contravenes the constitution by getting parliament involved in the appointment of a prosecutor which is the sole prerogative of the DPP.
This is the special prosecutor who will prosecute the Ramnarace case, John, David, and Vivian who were all murdered on New Year's Eve
Here's the back and forth in the house on Friday:
Shyne Barrow, Leader of the Opposition
"I know what it is you want to accomplish and we support that effort, but this according to the laws of Belize has to be done by way of a constitutional amendment. we understand the immediate need to have this done and we would be prepared to support a constitutional amendment. Let's do it the right way, because right now what you are proposing is unconstitutional."
Kareem Musa, Minister of Home Affairs
"Yes, ordinarily the DPP is an autonomous independent unit, but in this particular case the director of public prosecution's has recused herself from this case, not just herself, but she has indicated her entire office, because she does not feel that there should be even the slightest perception of bias. This particular piece of legislation was also shared with the DPP to see if she had any adjustments that she needed to make and through consultation, she responded and those adjustments were made to the legislation."
"Yes, I acknowledge that by constitution section 53, I believe, the DPP has the authority to issue a writ of prosecution to another individual, another person to prosecute, but again your contribution is noted. But the attorney general's ministry has reviewed this matter. There is legislation from other countries that they took into consideration. I think its Canada which closely resembles this particular piece of legislation."
