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Guyanese attorney is new Deputy DPP of Belize
Sheiniza Smith, a Guyanese attorney who has been appointed Deputy DPP of Belize
Kaieteur News – Sheiniza Smith, a Guyanese attorney, has been appointed to the position of Deputy Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) of Belize. Ms. Smith was officially appointed to the position on December 2, 2024.
Ms. Smith, who currently resides in the Central American country, made significant strides in her legal career since migrating to the country in March 2011 to take up contractual employment at the Office of the DPP as a Crown Counsel.
During her tenure at the Office of the DPP in Belize, the lawyer successfully prosecuted both capital and non-capital matters in the Belizean High Court. Since 2016, she has also argued appeals before the Court of Appeal of Belize.
In 2018, Ms. Smith successfully argued her first appeal before the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) in the case of Dionicio Salazar v. the Queen, and more recently, in the case of Tevin and Rewin before the same Court, between 2012 and 2019.
“I had the privilege of working as an adjunct lecturer at the University of Belize, where I taught Labour Law, Constitutional Law, Probate and Succession, Equity, and other law-related courses,” Ms. Smith stated.
In 2015, she was promoted to Senior Crown Counsel, before she was promoted to the post of Deputy DPP.
The lawyer explained that due to the lack of a proper organizational structure, there were no higher posts between Senior Crown Counsel and DPP. However, after much effort on her part, the position of Assistant DPP was created and the post of Deputy DPP was restored last year.
Ms Smith is originally from Plaisance, East Coast Demerara. Ms Smith is daughter of Michael Smith and Sharon Rollox, the granddaughter of Clinton and Clarice Rollox (both deceased), and the younger sister of Sonita Smith.
In 2009, the new Deputy DPP completed her LLB programme at the University of Guyana (UG). She was the recipient of the Anne Blue Memorial Award for the best-performing 2nd-year student before graduating with distinction.
“I obtained my Legal Education Certificate with honours from the Hugh Wooding Law School in Trinidad in 2009 and received the RBTT prize for the law of succession. After graduating from law school, I began my career at DeSantos and Associates under the mentorship of Mr. Bernard DeSantos SC (now deceased), a close friend of my grandfather. His guidance and confidence in me were instrumental in shaping my career. Following his mentorship, I migrated to Belize,” Ms Smith recalled.
In October 2024, she graduated from Cave Hill University with a Master’s in Legislative Drafting with Distinction. Additionally, she successfully completed the New York Bar Exam in 2022.
In a statement to The Waterfalls, Ms. Smith said “I owe much gratitude to God, for His faithfulness; my teachers, for their commitment, encouragement, and demonstration of confidence and my family and friends for their unconditional love and support.”
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