Belize: Former Ambassador Said “Badi” Guerra charged with sexual assault of male minor

Belize: Said “Badi” Guerra former Belizean ambassador, mayor and educator has been formally charged with four accounts of sexual assault on a male minor in Belize. 

The ambassador has been charged on one count of harm, and one count of procuring defilement by threat on the minor whose identity has remained concealed. 

Reportedly the assaulting incident occurred July 14, as Guerra was in the company of the 16-year-old boy and the two were out drinking alcohol. But it was not until 9 days later that a formal complaint was made at the Benque Viejo Police Station. 

The shocking story raising concerns sexual abuse of minors was brought to light out of the Cayo District as the mother of the boy who has chosen to remain anonymous along with her son accused Guerra who was the son’s educator of sexually assaulting him. 

With the case still under investigation, Guerra appeared before the Magistrate Christena Perera and was granted bail on the sum of $5,000 with two sureties of the same amount. The conditions of his bail include reporting to the Police Station twice a week, and having  no contact with the complainant.

The family of the allegedly assaulted young boy has expressed their displeasure on how the case is being handled, and raised concerns over the decision that the court took to grant Guerra, the former mayor in Benque Viejo del Carmen bail.

However according to Belize’s legal framework, Guerra was under his right to be granted bail as cases of sexual assault are deemed as bailable offences. 

Legal experts confirmed that, in this case, the prosecution did not object to bail, and therefore the magistrate was legally obliged to offer bail, provided the accused met the criteria.

Although if it were over charges of rape involving a minor then bail would not have been granted at the magistrate level. However, Guerra’s current charges while serious fall within the bounds of bailable offenses under the law. 

Guillera while speaking to the reporters he did not want to get into details or comment on the case and clarified that he was not being accused of rape. The former mayor  put on a non-guilty claim that this is the first time in his long history of working with children that such accusations have surfaced. 

Noting that “no one is immune to these sorts of things.” He calls for Belizeans to be more compassionate not just to him but to people going through such things, as the society usually immediately rushes to condemn while it's only an allegation. 

The 16-year-old victim with a busted lip, a chipped tooth, and bruises on his back also spoke in an interview and expressed that he felt physically violated as he never once gave consent to Guerra to assault him. 

Additionally the victim expressed that he now fears returning to school as Guiera is his lecturer, he further said that he is not satisfied that he was granted bail despite the physical ordeal he faced after receiving a beating in his hands. 

The case is currently still under investigation and is in the process of being transferred to the Supreme Court for trial.