Legal Team Accuses Police Commissioner of ‘Gaslighting’ Public

Attorney representatives for “Mr Pou” have issued a sharp rebuttal to Commissioner of Police Richard Rosado, rejecting what they describe as a “disingenuous” invitation for him to come forward with information on the Budna kidnapping case.

On Monday, Rosado declined to comment on allegations that officers were pressured to give false statements in the investigation. He instead urged any officer with information of evidential value to “come forward and speak to the investigators so that we can continue the ongoing investigation.”

In a press release circulated Friday, Pou’s legal team accused the Commissioner of attempting to “gaslight the public” and suppress evidence rather than pursue accountability. They said Pou had already raised concerns with senior police and government officials, but was met with “inaction and hostility”.

“Our client is profoundly insulted by the audacity of Dr Rosado to treat the citizens of Belize as an uneducated audience,” the release states. “To suggest that Mr Pou has been silent is a gross distortion of the truth.”

Attorneys Nazira Uc Myles and Leeroy F. Banner alleged that Pou’s career has been dismantled in retaliation for refusing to remain silent and that police leadership has focused on neutralising whistleblowers instead of investigating wrongdoing.

Pou is now calling for the immediate establishment of an independent investigative body, working alongside the Director of Public Prosecutions, to review the Budna kidnapping case. His lawyers argue that the Police Department “cannot be trusted to investigate itself when its highest-ranking officers and political affiliates are the ones being questioned.”

The statement concludes by urging the Minister of Home Affairs to prevent further victimisation of Pou and to implement stronger policies to ensure transparency in police investigations.