By Breaking Belize News Staff: The extortion case against interdicted Immigration Officer Monique Meisha Escalante has been discontinued after the prosecution was unable to secure the testimony of the Jamaican national who accused her of taking US$3,000 at the Philip Goldson International Airport.
Escalante, 34, appeared before High Court Justice Nigel Pilgrim on Tuesday, where the Director of Public Prosecutions’ Office entered a nolle prosequi after the court refused to admit a statement from virtual complainant Jahnoi Shaun-Dhee Richards as hearsay evidence.
The matter had been proceeding through a voir dire—a hearing to determine the admissibility of evidence—because Richards could not be located to testify.
The Crown called four witnesses in an attempt to establish the circumstances surrounding Richards’ statement and his absence from Belize. Prosecutors told the court that repeated telephone calls to Richards went unanswered, an email received no response, and attempts to contact him through social media were also unsuccessful.
At the close of the Crown’s evidence, Escalante’s attorney, Leslie Hamilton, made a no-case submission, arguing that prosecutors had failed to establish the legal basis necessary to admit Richards’ statement in his absence. Justice Pilgrim upheld the defence submission and declined to admit the statement.
With its principal witness unavailable and his statement excluded, the Crown entered the nolle prosequi, discontinuing the prosecution. Escalante was subsequently discharged from the extortion charge. The outcome is not an acquittal, however, and the prosecution could potentially bring the matter again if Richards becomes available and the necessary evidence can be presented.
Escalante was originally charged in March 2024 after Richards, then 27, alleged that while entering Belize through the PGIA on March 15, 2024, he was instructed to place money inside his passport and eventually handed over US$3,000. Public reporting at the time stated that airport surveillance footage was reviewed during the investigation and that several other immigration officers were detained and questioned before being released.
Escalante pleaded not guilty after being arraigned and was granted $8,000 bail with conditions, including surrendering her travel documents, reporting weekly to police and having no contact with Richards.
Richards reportedly left Belize following his stay, and despite efforts by prosecutors to locate him, he did not appear to give evidence in the High Court proceedings.
Escalante left court Tuesday with documentation confirming that the prosecution had been discontinued, bringing the case against her to an end for now.
The post Extortion case against Immigration Officer Monique Escalante discontinued after High Court rejects hearsay evidence appeared first on Belize News and Opinion on www.breakingbelizenews.com.
By Breaking Belize News Staff: The extortion case against interdicted Immigration Officer Monique Meisha Escalante has been discontinued after the prosecution was unable to secure the testimony of the Jamaican national who accused her of taking US$3,000 at the Philip Goldson International Airport. Escalante, 34, appeared before High Court Justice Nigel Pilgrim on Tuesday, where
The post Extortion case against Immigration Officer Monique Escalante discontinued after High Court rejects hearsay evidence appeared first on Belize News and Opinion on www.breakingbelizenews.com.
