Mistake of law - national proceedings

Belize

Belize - Criminal Code 2000 EN

CRIMINAL CODE

PART I - General Provisions

TITLE V - General Exemption From Criminal Liability

28.-(1) A person shall not be punished for an act which by reason of ignorance or mistake of fact in good faith he believes to be lawful.

(2) A person shall not, except as in this Code otherwise expressly provided, be exempt from liability to punishment for any act on the ground of ignorance that such act is prohibited by law.

Rome Statute

Article 32 Mistake of fact or mistake of law

2. A mistake of law as to whether a particular type of conduct is a crime within the jurisdiction of the Court shall not be a ground for excluding criminal responsibility. A mistake of law may, however, be a ground for excluding criminal responsibility if it negates the mental element required by such a crime, or as provided for in article 33.