Over 12 months have passed since Ryan Budna was abducted and transferred to Guatemalan authorities, and the unsolved case continues to erode public trust in the Belize Police Department, leaving a persistent cloud of uncertainty over the national security agency. Despite growing public demands for officials to hold responsible parties accountable, no suspects have been taken into custody, and the investigation has dragged on without a clear outcome to date.
In recent public comments, Belize’s Minister of National Security Michel Chebat confirmed that the high-profile case is among the top pending security issues he has prioritized for a full investigative update. Chebat emphasized his commitment to seeing the drawn-out process reach a formal conclusion, noting that active additional investigative work is currently underway.
Addressing public concerns about the stalled case, Chebat acknowledged the matter weighs heavily on the minds of Belizean residents. “I know that this is, weighs heavily on people’s mind. I have asked for a briefing on this. I have been informed that in fact this file was returned from the DPP’s office to the police to conduct further investigation, and that is in the process of being done,” Chebat stated in an interview filmed for a national evening television broadcast.
When asked whether he was eager to move the case toward closure, Chebat affirmed broad consensus on the need to resolve the long-running investigation. “I think this is something we all want to resolve. I don’t think it should be left hanging, and we want to see a resolution of it,” he added.
Chebat clarified that the proceeding is currently under the oversight of the Director of Public Prosecutions, and expressed full confidence that the DPP’s office will work diligently to deliver justice for all parties involved. This report is a transcribed excerpt from a televised evening newscast, with all non-standard Kriol language adjusted to follow standardized spelling conventions for published text.