By Breaking Belize News Staff: In an extraordinary public statement that puts her directly at odds with Prime Minister John Briceño and Foreign Minister Francis Fonseca, Speaker of the House of Representatives Valerie Woods has made a forceful case for Ambassador Alexis Rosado’s removal as Belize’s Co-Agent before the International Court of Justice (ICJ), arguing that his continued appointment while facing serious sexual offence charges compromises the country’s credibility and inflicts further distress on the complainant.
Woods, a longtime member of the People’s United Party (PUP), has publicly challenged the position of her own party’s leadership, questioning whether Rosado’s continued appointment represents an exception being made for a powerful individual.
In her statement titled “The Co-Agent Exception,” Woods writes:
“If, at this stage, there is still an insistence on his keeping the position, it raises the question whether the high-profile title is being used as a kind of unspoken influence.”
She goes further, stating:
“The message to anyone who is observing is that Mr. Rosado is an extremely important person in the eyes of the state and exceptions should be made for him.”
Her remarks follow Prime Minister Briceño’s public defence of Rosado earlier this week, when he declared that removing the ambassador at this critical stage would not be in Belize’s national interest.
“The ‘existential’ nature of Belize’s ICJ case cannot be used to justify keeping him as Co-Agent,” Woods counters.
She maintains that removing or replacing Rosado, based on the information publicly available, would not prejudice Belize’s territorial case against Guatemala.
Woods also directly challenges Foreign Minister Francis Fonseca’s explanation that the Government is following the advice of Belize’s lead agent, Assad Shoman, who considers Rosado vital to the ongoing preparation of the case.
“Whatever value Mr. Rosado brought to the preparation of the case is largely spent. He is not the lead Co-Agent and will not argue the case,” Woods states.
She argues that Belize’s written submissions have already been filed, hearing dates have been established, and responsibility for presenting the case rests with experienced international lawyers.
She consequently describes claims that Rosado is indispensable to the country’s case as exaggerated.
But perhaps the most striking aspect of the Speaker’s intervention is her defence of the complainant and her criticism of the message being sent to women and girls by the Government’s continued support for Rosado.
“For the complainant, this must be an unconscionable form of gaslighting that is unfolding publicly and compounding the distress of the proceedings,” Woods declares.
She warns that retaining Rosado in such a prominent position undermines the country’s efforts to confront sexual violence.
“It sends troubling messages, particularly to women and girls, that high ranking, powerful men are protected, they matter more, they are shielded from institutional consequences.”
Woods also invokes Belize’s commitments under the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, the 2022 national parliamentary Domestic Violence in Belize Motion, the 2026 Blue Teddy Bear campaign and the annual 16 Days of Activism to End Gender-Based Violence.
She questions how the Government can reconcile those commitments with its decision to maintain Rosado in his prominent international assignment while he faces serious criminal charges. Her argument raises questions about the consistency of Belize’s commitments rather than establishing a legal violation of any convention.
The Speaker further points out that Rosado resigned from his diplomatic postings after being charged in April 2022, arguing that the same considerations that justified protecting the integrity of those offices should apply to his continued ICJ appointment.
Woods acknowledges that Rosado remains innocent until proven guilty, but maintains that the presumption of innocence does not prevent a public official from stepping aside while criminal proceedings are pending.
The intervention comes just hours after Breaking Belize News raised this very issue in a public discussion on Saturday morning, comparing Rosado’s continued professional appointment with the situation involving Pastor Kevin Tzib, founder of Dunamis Ministries, who was recently charged with seven sexual offences and subsequently released on bail.
BBN asked whether Tzib should similarly be allowed to continue his ministry if Rosado can remain in his ICJ role with the support of the Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, and questioned what distinguishes the two situations. Dunamis Ministries has announced that it will take administrative measures, although the precise restrictions on Tzib’s ministerial duties have not been publicly established.
Woods’ statement addresses the broader questions of the presumption of innocence, public accountability and whether individuals facing serious criminal allegations should remain in positions of trust.
The statement is especially significant because it places the Speaker of the House in direct public disagreement with the Prime Minister and Foreign Minister on a matter involving Belize’s most consequential international legal proceedings.
Woods concludes by rejecting the suggestion that the importance of the ICJ case should shield any individual appointment from reconsideration.
“No individual appointment is beyond recall,” she declares.
“The importance of Belize’s case before the ICJ is not a reason to tolerate the avoidable reputational risk of retaining Mr. Rosado in the position of Co-Agent.”
She maintains that, as Belize prepares to present its case before the ICJ, it is precisely the importance of those proceedings that demands a rethink of Rosado’s continued appointment.
The post Rosado Got To Go: House Speaker calls for removal of Alexis Rosado — ‘Unconscionable form of gaslighting’ for complainant; ‘Powerful men are protected, they matter more’ appeared first on Belize News and Opinion on www.breakingbelizenews.com.