Trinidadian Man Walks Free After 92 Days Behind Bars in Belize

After spending ninety-two days behind bars, Trinidadian national Rubindra Rampersad walked free today and is now telling his side of the story.  The forty-six-year-old had been charged with making off without payment after accumulating a bill of eleven thousand, four hundred and seventy dollars and twenty-four cents at the Golden Bay Hotel in Belize City. The charge was dismissed this morning after a hotel representative confirmed that the outstanding amount had been paid in full through a criminal mediation agreement.  Rampersad, who was represented by Attorney Kimberly Wallace of Lavender Chambers, exited the Belize City Magistrates’ Court shortly after midday. He first apologized to the court reporter whom he had treated disrespectfully during two previous court appearances.  Rampersad also spoke about his treatment during his three months in prison. He described the experience as difficult and claimed that his constitutional and human rights were infringed upon.

Dale Rampersad, Trinidadian: “I’ve never been arrested before so prison is not something that I’m used to. So it was a bit of a shock and there are things that you experience that would be quite traumatizing and would haunt you. For instance, intimate searches where you are stripped and you are searched. I’ve never had to go through that before. So that was really, it was a really difficult experience for me. I was forced to sleep on concrete beds with no bedding and for 18 days my constitutional rights were denied. I was not denied access to legal advice. I was not denied access to inform someone of my whereabouts. I could not inform my family or my consulate that I was imprisoned and as a result of that my family reached out to the authorities in Trinidad and asked them to look into my whereabouts because I was missing and they had not heard from me. It was on the 15th of June that I was taken to Mr. Gomez’s office and he asked me why was he getting calls from Trinidad about my whereabouts. And I told him that I had been at his facility for 18 days and I had not been given access to my attorney, my consulate so I could not call my family. It was then that he allowed me to contact the consulate.”

Rampersad says his ordeal began after he travelled to Belize for what he believed was a legitimate employment opportunity. He claims he had been recruited to work as a procurement specialist with Millennium Challenge Account Belize and was promised a salary of five thousand US dollars, reimbursement for his airfare and financial assistance after arriving in the country.  According to Rampersad, the job and financial arrangements did not materialize, leaving him stranded in Belize without the money needed to support himself or settle the hotel bill. He maintains that he came to Belize with good intentions and was not attempting to defraud the hotel.

Dale Rampersad, Trinidadian: “I have just spent 92 days in prison for not paying for my hotel fees but the charges have been dropped and I have paid my bill. And I just wanted for clarity to say that I am not a bad person and I’m not a criminal and I’ve never been arrested in my entire life. I came to Belize after receiving an offer of employment from Millennial Challenge Account Belize, which is a statutory body that was formed by the Government of Belize under the Millennium Challenge Act January 2024. The organization MCA Belize received 125 million US dollars in funding from the Millennium Challenge Corporation, a US government organization and a part of USAID. I was recruited internationally as a procurement specialist and part of my recruitment package included relocation support of up to five thousand US dollars as well as reimbursement for all of my expenses including the cost of my flights. I arrived in Belize on May 1st which was a holiday and I went into the offices at ACA Belize located at the Atlantic Insurance Building on May 4th and I asked them for my employment agreement and I asked them to reimburse me for my costs, which was the cost of my flight about 900 US dollars. And they refused to give me, they refused to reimburse me and they refused to give me an employment agreement and it made it impossible for me to work with them. And I was also placed in a very difficult position where I was not able to financially support myself in Belize because I was relying on the support I would have gotten from MCA Belize. I was staying at the Golden Bay for three nights and had they reimbursed me to 900 US that was owed to me then I would have been able to pay my bills and found another place to stay that was less expensive but that option wasn’t available to me. So I ended up staying at Golden Bay until the date of my flight which was May 29 with the intent to go home and I always planned on settling my bill. And I have been able to do so.”

Rampersad was initially denied bail after being deemed a flight risk because he is not a Belizean and had no established ties to the country. Following several court appearances and intervention by his attorneys, the prosecution approached the hotel about resolving the matter through mediation.  With the bill now settled and the charge dismissed, Rampersad says he has no criminal conviction in Belize and is relieved that his ninety-two-day ordeal has come to an end.