Director of Public Prosecutions (Belize)

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The Director of Public Prosecutions is the head prosecutor of Belize, whose role is to prosecute criminal offences..

Prosecutor supreme representative of the prosecution (of the state)

A prosecutor is a legal representative of the prosecution in countries with either the common law adversarial system, or the civil law inquisitorial system. The prosecution is the legal party responsible for presenting the case in a criminal trial against an individual accused of breaking the law. Typically, the prosecutor represents the government in the case brought against the accused person.

Belize country in Central America

Belize, formerly the British Honduras, is an independent and sovereign country located on the north eastern coast of Central America. Belize is bordered on the northwest by Mexico, on the east by the Caribbean Sea, and on the south and west by Guatemala. It has an area of 22,970 square kilometres (8,867 sq mi) and a population of 408,487 (2019). Its mainland is about 180 mi (290 km) long and 68 mi (110 km) wide. It has the lowest population and population density in Central America. The country's population growth rate of 1.87% per year is the second highest in the region and one of the highest in the Western Hemisphere.

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The office of DPP is established in Article 108 of the Constitution of Belize; candidates for the position must have the same qualifications as Justices of the Supreme Court. The DPP is appointed by the Governor-General on the advice of the Judicial and Legal Services Section of the Public Services Commission, with the concurrence of the Prime Minister after consultation with the Leader of the Opposition. Though the DPP is formally part of the PSC, under Article 106(6) the PSC does not have the power to remove the DPP. Instead, under 108(6) through (8), the PM must refer the question of removal to the Governor-General, who requests the Belize Advisory Council to investigate whether the DPP is unable to discharge his duties of office or whether his misbehaviour rises to the level of requiring his removal from office. [1]

Constitution of Belize

The Constitution of Belize is the supreme law of the nation of Belize. It was signed on September 1981 with effect from that date.

The Supreme Court of Judicature of Belize is one of three tiers of courts in Belize, the lower ones being the Magistrate's Courts and the Court of Appeal. It is a court of original jurisdiction in both civil and criminal cases as well as an appellate court. It is governed by the Supreme Court of Judicature Act (SCJA).

Governor-General of Belize

The Governor-General of Belize is the viceregal representative of Belize who is also Commander in Chief of The Belize Defence Force. The position is largely ceremonial which the power is rarely exercised.

List of Directors of Public Prosecutions

Sir Albert Llewellyn Staine was a Belizean judge. He was Director of Public Prosecutions in 1969. He was one of the founding members of the Belize Audubon Society that year. He was named a Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire in 1978. He was named Chief Justice of Belize in 1977. He was the first native of Belize to become CJ. At the time of his appointment, Belize was still a British colony; it would become independent while he was still on the bench. He served in that position until 1981, and was succeeded by George Moe of Barbados the following year. He was knighted in 1984. The Sir Albert Staine Building of the Supreme Court of Belize, which houses its law library, was named for him in 1992.

Michael Long was a British judge of the Sovereign Base Areas in Cyprus, having previously worked as a lawyer and judge in various African countries and as Director of Public Prosecutions in Belize.

George Bawa Singh was a Belizean judge, who served briefly as Chief Justice of the Supreme Court.

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The Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) is the office or official charged with the prosecution of criminal offences in several criminal jurisdictions around the world. The title is used mainly in jurisdictions that are or have been members of the Commonwealth of Nations.

1998 Belizean general election

General elections were held in Belize on 27 August 1998. The result was a victory for the People's United Party, which won 26 of the 29 seats and Said Musa was elected as Prime Minister for the first time. Voter turnout was 90.1%, the highest since independence.

Asian Indians, also known as East Indians, are citizens of Belize of Indian-South Asian ancestry. The community made up 3.9% of the population of Belize in 2010. They are part of the wider Indo-Caribbean community, which itself is a part of the global Indian diaspora.

John Troadio Gonzalez is a justice of the Supreme Court of Belize.

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The Chief Justice of Belize is the head of the Supreme Court of Belize. Under Chapter 7 of the Constitution of Belize, the Chief Justice is appointed by the Governor-General on the advice of the Prime Minister. The current Chief Justice of Belize is Kenneth Benjamin, a dual national of Guyana and Antigua and Barbuda.

Samuel Lungole Awich is a Commonwealth jurist, whose career has taken him from his native Uganda to Botswana, the Solomon Islands, and for the past decade Belize.

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Michel Hannah Chebat, Jr. is a Belizean lawyer. He has previously served as Chairman of Belize's Social Security Board as well as President of the Bar Association of Belize. He is a partner in the law firm of Shoman and Chebat together with Lisa Shoman.

Kirk Brian Anderson is a Caribbean jurist. A dual national of Jamaica and Belize, he has experience both before the bench and behind it, in Belize as Director of Public Prosecutions and in Jamaica as a justice of the Supreme Court, and in both countries as a lawyer in private practice.

References

  1. ↑ "Part VII". Constitution of Belize. Attorney General of Belize. Archived from the original on 2011-11-27. Retrieved 2012-04-21.
  2. ↑ "Meet the Founders" (PDF). Newsletter of the Belize Audubon Society. 40 (4). June 2009. pp. 6–7. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2010-09-24. Retrieved 2010-04-20.
  3. ↑ Pigot, Thomas Herbert (7 September 1985). "His Hon. Judge Michael Long". The Times . p. 12.
  4. ↑ "Justice George Singh dies". News 5 Belize. 1999-03-09. Retrieved 2012-04-20.
  5. ↑ "Meet The Justices". Attorney General of Belize. Archived from the original on 2012-02-04. Retrieved 2012-04-19.
  6. ↑ "Former DPP Says Anderson is Acting Immature". San Pedro Daily. 2006-08-18. Archived from the original on 2012-07-10. Retrieved 2012-04-21.
  7. ↑ "Supreme Court opens with optimism". News 5 Belize. 2000-01-17. Retrieved 2012-04-21.
  8. ↑ "Kirk Anderson will be new D.P.P." News 5 Belize. 2002-03-26. Retrieved 2012-04-21.
  9. ↑ "Senate confirms D.P.P. appointment, but still no contract". 2007-01-09. Retrieved 2012-04-21.
  10. ↑ "Cheryl-Lynn Vidal to be confirmed". News 5 Belize. 2010-06-22. Retrieved 2012-04-21.


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