FORMER PRIME MINISTER TO STAND TRIAL FOR THEFT

UNCLAS BELMOPAN 000057 DEPT FOR WHA/CEN (CHRISTOPHER ASHE) E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV ECON PREL BH SUBJECT: FORMER PRIME MINISTER TO STAND TRIAL FOR THEFT Ref: (A) BELMOPAN 130, (B) BELMOPAN 503 ¶1. On February 10, 2009, Magistrate Earl Jones of the Municipal Court in Belmopan handed down a judgment finding that enough evidence had been submitted against former Prime Minister Said Musa for a prima facie case to be heard. As a result he ordered that Musa stand trial in the Supreme Court on April 7, 2009. Musa was first charged with theft in December 2007, after a grant from the Venezuelan government of USD 10 million could not be fully accounted for (ref A). While this is the third time Musa has faced criminal charges, it is the first time he will stand trial. ¶2. Comment: After several high profile cases were dismissed on technicalities, this ruling represents a major victory for the prosecution and the judicial process. Within Belize it is unprecedented for a former Prime Minister to stand trial for any criminal offense. Given this judgment, we expected that the case against the former Minister of Housing Ralph Fonseca will also go to trial, as both cases are linked to the same incident (ref B). End Comment. DIFFILY