Belize: Director of Public Prosecutions Wants Drug Plane Lawmen Re-Tried

 In December of 2012, Justice Denis Hanomansingh acquitted the 5 lawmen who were accused of landing a drug plane on the Southern Highway. Now, the Director of Public Prosecutions, Cheryl-Lynn Vidal, is seeking to appeal that acquittal; she wants them re-tried.

The plane was loaded with almost three thousand kilos of cocaine - but got stuck on the highway when one of its wings got damaged during the improvised landing.

The Beechcraft King Air 200 landed in the Bladden area of the Southern Highway. 5 lawmen Police Corporal Renel Grant, Corporal Nelson Middleton, Sergeant Lawrence Humes, Customs Boatman Harold Usher, Sergeant Jacinto Roches, and civilian Victor Logan were all charged of abetment to commit a crime. The accusation was that they facilitated the landing of the plane.

But after they were put on trial, all 6 men were acquitted when Justice Hanonmansingh ordered the jury to find them not guilty. That's after their attorneys made submissions that the men had no case to answer because they were not implicated based on the evidence put forward.

At this afternoon's session of the Court of Appeal, DPP Vidal made her application for leave to appeal on the grounds that the trial judge erred in law when he found that the circumstantial evidence presented by the Crown was not enough to prove their case against the accused. She offered an additional ground that the judge conducted the trial so as to deprive the crown of putting all their evidence before the jury.

The 5 law men were represented by attorneys Hubert Elrington, Anthony Sylvestre, and Simeon Sampson. Sylvestre objected to the application for leave to appeal on grounds that the Director did not file her application within the required 21 days.

After careful consideration, President Justice Manuel Sosa overruled his objection and allowed DPP Vidal to be heard.

The hearing went all the way up until 5:15 this evening, and President Sosa announced that the Appeal Court will give the court's decision on Friday about whether or not they will hear the appeal.        

Story and photos: http://www.7newsbelize.com