Foreign Affairs Engages Guatemala on Budna Case

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade has issued a statement on the ongoing investigation into the circumstances surrounding the transfer of Belizean national Joseph Budna to the Republic of Guatemala.

The Ministry said it is working closely with the Belize Police Department and has instructed the Embassy of Belize in Guatemala to engage with Guatemalan authorities to gather information. Importantly, the Ministry emphasized that there is no evidence to suggest Guatemalan authorities entered Belize to apprehend Budna, countering widespread speculation.

According to the release, the Embassy has also been directed to provide consular support to Budna, ensuring he has access to medical assistance and that his human rights are safeguarded while in custody. The Ministry reaffirmed its commitment to protecting the rights and welfare of all Belizean nationals at home and abroad.

The case stems from a Friday night incident in Orange Walk Town in which a witness reported seeing Budna forced into a dark-coloured SUV on Hospital Crescent. The Belize Police Department launched an investigation, securing the scene, canvassing witnesses, impounding a vehicle of interest, and reviewing video surveillance footage.

Guatemala’s Policía Nacional Civil (PNC) later confirmed Budna was in their custody pursuant to an arrest warrant, though it has not disclosed details of his apprehension.

Budna, 44, has long been a controversial figure. He was convicted in Belize in 2000 of aggravated assault and “unnatural crime” against a minor and in 2006 staged a prison standoff atop the Kolbe/Hattieville water tower. He was later convicted in Guatemala for running a kidnapping and extortion ring, with a Zacapa court sentencing him to 30 years in 2014.

After escaping hospital custody in Guatemala in 2019, he resurfaced in Belize, where his name has remained in the headlines—including after a 2023 shooting at his San Ignacio home that left a presumed minor dead, and his 2024 charge of abetment to murder tied to the 2021 killing of Armando Coy Cacao.

The Belize Police Department’s investigation remains ongoing, while the Ministry of Foreign Affairs says it will continue to monitor developments and ensure Budna’s rights are respected under international law.