The search for a new Ombudsman is underway

Six months after the post became vacant, the search for a new Ombudsman is now underway.  The vacancy notice has been posted on the National Assembly’s Facebook page. The person selected will take over while the Ombudsman’s Office is being developed into a National Human Rights Institution.  Attorney General Anthony Sylvestre says that transition will not happen overnight. It is part of a three-year project under an agreement involving the Ombudsman’s Office and the European Union. He says applicants with knowledge and experience in human rights work would be better placed to guide that process.

Anthony Sylvester, Attorney General of Belize: “As with most case management what would occur, the court would give the timelines as it relates to the filing and in this particular case the court gave timeline for the filing of affidavit in response. So this is an appeal that was made by the Attorney General’s Ministry with respect to a decision that was taken by the Ombudsman. That decision, and I need to state this so as to disabuse persons from what has been actually said in the public. I know it has been said and much has been made of the fact of well how will the state challenge a constitutional office ? Well first of all the rule of law that’s a constituent part of democracy. What that means simply is that every single office whether it be the Prime Minister, whether it be the Ombudsman, whether it be a judge that they must in exercising their functions and duties must comply with the dictates of the law and the purpose of us launching that review of the Ombudsman’s decision was so that court could in fact indicate, which we believe wasn’t the case, whether the Ombudsman operated fairly in coming to the decision that he came. Won’t go into the specifics and the facts because the matter is before the court but that’s the essence and the rationale and the reason why the matter was challenged.”

Sylvestre says the work will include a review of the existing law and likely recommendations for amendments needed to establish the new human rights body.  The vacancy comes as Jerry Enriquez has taken the government to court over the failure to appoint an Ombudsman. He is asking the court to order the government to fill the post.  Sylvestre says the recruitment process has already started and is being handled by the Ombudsman Reports Committee of the National Assembly. That committee includes representatives from both the government and opposition.