One of the most closely followed criminal cases in Belize has hit an unexpected procedural snag, after sitting ambassador and veteran diplomat Alexis Rosado abruptly dismissed his lead defense counsel on the second day of trial, forcing an immediate adjournment of proceedings.
The pause came Tuesday before Justice Natalie Creary Dixon at the Belmopan High Court, where Rosado confirmed he had severed his professional relationship with attorney Leeroy Banner. He requested additional time to recruit and secure new legal representation to lead his defense, a motion the justice granted, pushing the resumption of trial to 9 a.m. Wednesday.
Rosado, who currently holds the post of Belize’s ambassador to Guatemala and has held multiple senior diplomatic appointments over his decades-long career, including a tenure as chief executive officer of Belize’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, faces three serious felony charges: rape, sexual assault, and aggravated assault. The allegations against him were first filed in 2022, with formal charges brought in April of that year, and he was officially indicted by the grand jury in January 2024. The case has already navigated years of procedural delays in the Belizean court system before opening arguments finally began earlier this week.
On Monday, the first day of trial, prosecution attorneys launched their case against the veteran diplomat, calling two key witnesses to the stand: the lead investigating officer assigned to the case, and an IT manager from Belize’s Immigration Department. Both witnesses testified to establish Rosado’s whereabouts during the timeframe outlined in the criminal allegations. Prosecutors had planned to call an additional four witnesses to give evidence on Tuesday, but those plans were scrapped immediately following Rosado’s announcement of his split from Banner.
The adjournment marks yet another hold-up in a case that has already been postponed multiple times. Just at the opening of proceedings this week, the court rejected an earlier defense request for a delay, noting that the matter had already been deferred repeatedly and that it was time for the trial to move forward. Court observers across Belize have been closely following the high-profile proceedings, given Rosado’s long career in public service and his active diplomatic post. All attention now turns to Wednesday, when the trial is scheduled to resume, and the prosecution will finally call its remaining witnesses once new defense counsel is in place.