Belize Prime Minister John Briceño has directed Commissioner of Police Dr. Richard Rosado to proceed on 45 days’ leave “in the first instance,” as public pressure intensifies over the controversial “abduction” of Belizean Ryan Joseph Budna and his subsequent transfer to Guatemalan authorities.
The move follows Briceño’s request last week for an update from Home Affairs Minister Kareem Musa on the case. A government statement issued late Sunday said the Prime Minister had found the police’s preliminary report “incomplete and, therefore, unsatisfactory.”
“In the circumstances, the Prime Minister has directed that Dr. Richard Rosado, Commissioner of Police, proceed on a leave of absence for forty-five (45) days, in the first instance. This leave is to commence with immediate effect,” the statement read.
Deputy Commissioner of Police Bart Jones has been appointed Acting Commissioner, while Deputy Commissioner Suzette Anderson has been tasked with completing the investigation by the end of September. Briceño also confirmed that police officer Barrington Flowers has been placed on interdiction as of September 7, based on findings in the preliminary report.
Rosado, the government said, agreed to step aside “to allow the Budna investigation to be completed free from any suggestion of conflicts or influence.”
Budna, who has had a checkered past, was reportedly seized on August 22 in Belize before being handed over to Guatemalan officials. The Belize Police Department initially confirmed that Guatemala’s Policia Nacional Civil (PNC) held Budna on an arrest warrant, but said details of his apprehension remained unclear. A witness reported seeing him forced into a dark SUV with Belize City plates.
Attorneys have since vowed to challenge what they describe as an illegal handover. Lawyer Arthur Saldivar argued Budna’s rights were grossly violated.
“We all have a right to liberty and freedom of movement,” Saldivar said. “Where Mr. Budna was forcibly detained — in fact, prior to his detention, he was severely beaten and then spirited away — that is a crime. In fact, not a crime, but a series of crimes.”
Saldivar insisted police were complicit, pointing to video evidence that he said showed an officer failing to intervene. Veteran attorney Richard “Dickie” Bradley, while stressing he is “no fan” of Budna, said the circumstances of his removal from Belize raised serious questions.
Briceño said the government’s response was guided by “public information and the preliminary report regarding the Budna matter,” adding that the rule of law and the Police Department’s reputation remain his foremost concerns.
