by Roy Davis (freelance reporter)
BELIZE CITY, Wed. Nov. 8, 2023
The trial of defense attorney Oscar Selgado, 54, which is still in its voire dire stage, was adjourned today until November 23, after which the trial judge, Justice Nigel Pilgrim, is expected to state the date on which he will be delivering his decision on whether the statement of Giovanni Ramirez will be admitted.
The Director of Public Prosecution (DPP), Cheryl Lynn Vidal, is to give her written submission on the voire dire by November 15, and attorney Adolph Lucas, Sr., is to give his written submission by November 22. On November 23, Justice Pilgrim will hear oral submissions from the Crown and the defense.
Today, Lucas called one witness, Marco Marin, a technician at Belize Telemedia Limited, who testified that he received an order to search for any record that a call was made in February, 2019, by someone who used the mobile number, 632-6699, which is Selgado’s mobile phone number.
(Ramirez, who had told police that Selgado had attempted to hire him to kill a former client of his (Selgado’s) had said in his statement that he contacted Selgado using the cell number, 632- 6699.)
Marin said he did not find any record of that call being made.
But under cross examination by DPP Vidal, he agreed that if calls were made using that mobile number via WhatsApp, BTL would not have a record of them.
“Our position is that BTL wouldn’t have a record of calls that were made via WhatsApp”, said Vidal.
After the Crown had closed its case, Selgado, who is charged with abetment to commit murder, testified and denied everything Ramirez said in his statement. He even denied knowing Ramirez. On November 6, Selgado was cross-examined by DPP Vidal, but nothing new was revealed during that cross examination.
If convicted of the charge against him, Selgado could be sentenced to time in prison and be disbarred.