The laws of Belize are now on the Internet, the Attorney General Godfrey
Smith announced at the Princess Hotel on Monday. A digital copy of the
laws is also available on CD-ROM at $750 per copy.
The website "www.belizelaw.org" was put together and installed at a cost
of over half a million Belize dollars. Now every Belizean with access to a
computer may consult any chapter of an up-to-date (up to December 31,
2000) version of the law on the worldwide web.
The digital version of the laws is also easier to use because the user may
consult an alphabetic index or type in one or two key words in a search
window about the aspect of the laws which interests them.
Conceivably international investors around the globe may also consult the
website to find out how their investment in Belize would be protected under
Belizean law.
The Attorney General said that the exercise was begun last June with a
grant of US $150,000 from the Inter American Development Bank and an
equivalent amount from the Belize government.
Since 1980, there have been numerous amendments to the laws of Belize,
creating some problems for those who frequently do research. " The law does
not remain static, and every year new laws are passed by the House of
Representatives...," Smith explained, " The project was undertaken by the
Chief Parliamentary Council. With the laws of Belize online, it puts Belize
in the forefront of the Caribbean." He added that Belize is the only
country in the region to have its laws updated and on the Internet.