What Would an Independent Budna Investigation Look Like?

Cabinet has given the green light for an independent investigation into the abduction of Joseph Budna. This comes after weeks of public pressure and criticism over the police-led probe, which many felt lacked transparency and could have been influenced from within. This move is unprecedented, Belize has never conducted an independent criminal investigation before, and there’s no clear constitutional framework for how it should work. We spoke with attorney Dickie Bradley, who shared what he believes would ensure a fair and credible process.

 

Richard “Dickie” Bradley, Attorney-at-Law

“Whoever is going to be in charge of the investigation would not necessarily be the investigator in the sense that, just as an argument, you have. the former justice at the Supreme Court, Adolf Lucas. A man whose integrity is impeccable. He was a former police officer that rose to the ranks of Inspector Superintendent, continued to study night school. And eventually became a lawyer. And then a DPP, was a chief magistrate and then a judge. You would put someone with that kind of knowledge in charge of the investigation. He will decide how much he wants to rely on house investigators because there is a smear on the police department, or he’s going to commingle former investigators. persons who you can’t intimidate and utilize the police only where the police in house is needed for certain matters. So remember, we can’t hear out here, this is a country which the returned commissioner has said there is a problem of trust between we the citizens and that department, which basically runs itself. There’s no oversight on the police. So what you would want is that the least they have to do with anything, the better. Now, the initial investigation or report should have said that the three officers who are seen on video who are known, because you can tell who they are if you are in the police department and uniformed police came on the scene that they are to be charged. You don’t need another investigation to go over that. They were seen beating and they were seen taken away a man who ended up in enemy territory, they can be charged. They should be charged now. There’s no hold up with that. They should be charged. Why have they not been charged? Because if they are charged, kidnapping in this country is many years in prison. They’re not going to pay any fine any person who is accused and is proven to have kidnapped anybody. I’m going to go to jail for a very long time. So the independent investigation can’t be done by the police department. Police officers are involved going right up the ranks.”