Ambassador Alexis Rosado holds one of Belize’s most sensitive international responsibilities. As an agent in the country’s territorial dispute before the International Court of Justice, he helps represent Belize in a case that could shape the nation’s future. But Rosado is now confronting a serious legal battle of his own, with charges against him before the local courts. That has triggered growing questions about whether he can, or should, remain part of Belize’s ICJ team while the matter plays out. Prime Minister John Briceño faced that question directly. Here is how he responded.
Prime Minister John Briceño
Prime Minister John Briceño
“Of course it creates some kind of concern, but I am not going to try to minimize the severity of the accusations. Again in our constitution, in our laws, you are innocent until declared guilty. We also have to look after the future of the country. At the ICJ in February, both in February with Guatemala and in March with Honduras. And Ambassador Rosado has been working on this issue for a few decades along with Ambassador Shoman and I don’t think it would be in the best interest of the nation to remove him. It is unfortunate at that it is at this time. But, it is what it is, that is reality and we need to be able to put the best case possible to defend our sovereignty.”
Rosado recently retained Jamaican Attorney Deborah Martin as lead counsel.
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