Government announces initiative to clear COVID-19 related convictions, fines

Posted: Friday, September 13, 2024. 11:15 am CST.

By Aaron Humes: The Government of Belize is moving to amend current laws to relieve first-time offenders convicted of COVID-19-related offenses during the pandemic era from 2020 to 2022.

Minister of Education Francis Fonseca, acting for the Attorney General, introduced the amendment to the Criminal Records (Rehabilitation of Offenders) Act and related amendment to the Misuse of Drugs Act, which allows for automatic expungement of single convictions related to COVID-19-related offenses as well as convictions for cannabis possession.

The amendment does not apply to repeat offenders and those convicted of other crimes, who must wait for three to five years before applying. 

Fonseca also announced that the Government would appeal to the Governor General to use her powers to remit outstanding fines due to the Magistracy by such offenders, in the case of cannabis possession for fines below $1,000.

Fonseca estimated that thousands of offenders would be relieved by these moves, implemented at a time of great uncertainty in which freedoms taken for granted were temporarily curtailed to stop the spread of COVID-19; but which criminalized ordinarily law-abiding citizens.

More on this later.

 

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