As we have reported, government is being sued by Enrique George Herbert - who was handed over to the DEA in 2003 without due process. He served 21 years in a US jail and was deported back to Belize last year. He has now taken out a lawsuit against the government of Belize for breach of his constitutional rights.
His attorney Dean Barrow says that even after being instructed by the Chief Justice, the Government never took steps to return him to Belize.
The Attorney General's office is defending the government - and the AG says a settlement proposal on the table:
Anthony Sylvester, Attorney General
"Yes, a settlement was requested. It was quite a hefty settlement that was requested. In the millions, in the millions, in the millions. So what we've done, however, is that we've made certain applications to the court, essentially indicating to the court that while the constitution does not strictly speaking expressly say, okay, you have five years of bringing a claim or whatever, the courts, where the courts are ultimately the guardian of the constitution, they have crafted a period where constitutional claims should be brought. And so claims in excess of 15 years or so, which would be the realm here. Really, the court has usually frowned on these. So we made that application."
"The other side is to respond, and the matter comes up in early January."
