Last week, self-styled journalist, Joseph Budna was taken to court after he was charged for abetment to murder. He was arraigned in connection to a murder that occurred three years ago which resulted in the death of fifty-year-old Guatemalan national Armando Cacao. Upon leaving court, Budna told the media that he was being wrongly accused and maintains that the police department did not have sufficient evidence to charge him. Today, we spoke with Commissioner of Police, Chester Williams, who refuted those claims.
Chester Williams
Chester Williams, Commissioner of Police
“I don’t know if he has met bail, but as I had said to the media before, we had an investigation involving him. Witnesses came forward, provided statements to the police, which was sufficient for us to be able to get sufficient evidence to charge him, and he was charged.”
On Friday, Joseph Budna was granted High Court bail after being remanded to the Belize Central Prison for abetment to commit murder. The charge stems from the 2021 murder of fifty-one-year-old Armando Coy Cacao in Belmopan. Budna was represented by attorney Arthur Saldivar. One of the conditions of his bail is that he cannot speak publicly about his arrest or any matter surrounding the arrest. So, when Budna spoke with the media today, he simply thanked the justice system. He also wanted us to know that he is being cyberbullied. He claims that a prison guard took a picture of him while he was on remand as part of security procedure. But, that photo of a shirtless Budna has since been leaked on social media. And, though he did not shy away from showing the image to our cameras, he is questioning the credibility of the prison guards who took the picture.
Joseph Budna
Joseph Budna, On Bail for Abetment to Murder
“Thank God I am out. Gid is great and he will stand by those who is doing what is right. So, I got my bail, thank God for that, the justice system was at least fair to grant me bail. Each and every one is innocent until proven otherwise. That is the bail for the abetment to murder.”
Reporter
“So your attorney had to file for that?”
Joseph Budna
“Yes my attorney had to file for bail application and it was granted by the Court, nonetheless I will not go into any details on the matter because it has been restricted by the court to make comments publicly concerning the case itself.”
Paul Lopez
“You are taking offense to an image that seems to have been taken behind bars of you, can you give us some details about that image?”
Joseph Budna
“In regards of the picture that was taken of me inside the Kolbe Foundation facility while I was in isolation, restricted from phone calls, restricted from communicating with anyone, I believe they would have allowed me to communicate with an attorney. This was done in the name of having me on observation; the observation they had me on was unnecessary, but that was according to the prison authorities. Now, you come to my cell and take photographs of authority dressed in black and say Mr. Budna we need a photo of you so that we can send to our chief executive officer who command us to take the photo sot hey can know you was alive. No problem, I will comply. I never knew that that photograph was taken for other activity. I know it is being circulated on other social media pages and it is causing quite a bit of distress on my behalf.”
Budna claims that he is being targeted by those in authority because he works as an activist. He says the Belize Police Department has him fearing for his life. When asked why he decided to become an activist, he says that he did some introspection after escaping Guatemala.
Joseph Budna, On Bail for Abetment to Murder
“And I am hoping the police department, the commissioner of police, Mr. Chester Williams, I still call you Chester Williams, Mr., maybe I should take that off and just call you Chester, maybe by this afternoon I will have the police at my house and maybe they might done have a gun plant on me or something. I just say maybe, I don’t know. But that is just the way the police department has me feeling.”
Reporter
“So, do you believe your life is in danger?”
Joseph Budna
“It is in danger, it is in danger, it is evident. The Belizean people are watching what is being playing. They are watching what is being playing.”
Paul Lopez
“Where did this passion derive, this passion for this sort of national issues and advocacy?”
Joseph Budna
“It arise because I took a deep analysis of myself and said God has freed me from Guatemala prison, let me do something for my country, let me do the best I can do for my country. Let me give my life for my country Belize, and that is where it grows.”
The thirteen-year-old who was taken to the Wagner’s Youth Facility during the State of Emergency was transferred to the New Beginnings Youth Centre on the George Price Highway. It is where many people feel he should have been taken in the first place. Today, the Commissioner of Police, Chester Williams and the Minister of Home Affairs, Kareem Musa, gave their perspectives on the matter.
Chester Williams, Commissioner of Police
“The fact that he had been shot on the ninth of March this year after eight p.m., atnight, one would then wonder what was a thirteen-year-old doing on the street around nine at night to have been shot? Where was the parent? There is still the curfew law that prohibits any child under the age of sixteen to be out in public after eight p.m., absent any parent or guardian. So in that particular instance, the mother could have been held accountable for what happened to the child. Subsequent to that, we had two other reports of the child being involved in gunplay going after people with intent to shoot them. And so there was sufficient for us to have been able to take him under the S.O.E. And I still believe it was the right thing to do. Now, when we look at this whole situation, the child is now at the New Beginnings. I believe that sending him there is a good thing, but we have to look at it more broadly. What else can be done? The mother is fighting for the child to be released, but does she have the capacity to take care of that child? If you look at the history, the child’s father was a street figure. He was killed. The child’s stepfather is a street figure. The mother is absent. So if the child is released back to her how can she act in the best interest of that child, as stated by the Families and Children Act? I don’t think she has the capacity. So if it is that something can be done where the child can be taken in as a ward of the state and kept at New Beginnings until he attains the age of eighteen, I think that would be the best thing for that child in this particular instance because at New Beginnings, he’ll be able to get the mentorship that he needs the guidance that he needs to be able to transform him and become a more productive young person. If he’s let back on the streets in the hands of the mother, we might report of him being killed or him killing somebody. So as a society, we need to look at it holistically and not just try to demonize the system for what was being done.”
Kareem Musa
Kareem Musa, Minister of Home Affairs
“While at Wagner’s Youth Facility, he was in protective custody, as were the other minors. I believe there are eight total, two of them under the age of sixteen. The others I believe are seventern, seven of them. And so having them in protective custody in the first instance was important because when you put him automatically at new beginnings, you’re not taking into consideration the best interests of the children who are new beginnings because we’re dealing here with an individual who it is alleged is dangerous. And so you have to look at whether he’s a danger to himself, whether he’s a danger to others. And it is in conjunction with the Ministry of Human Development and UNICEF that we took a visit, myself, Ms. Alison Parker from UNICEF, the CEO from the Ministry of Human Development and Home Affairs visited the Wagner Youth Facility and had an opportunity to speak with these young men.”
Last week, attorney Richard ‘Dickie’ Bradley poured out frustration and disappointment at the system for the manner in which individuals’ rights are being violated, primarily when they are picked up as part of the state of emergency. Today, the Minister of Home Affairs, Kareem Musa responded to Bradley, saying that the attorney was speaking to his audience, but that there has been significant improvement in the crime wave since the S.O.E. took effect.
Kareem Musa
Kareem Musa, Minister of Home Affairs
“We have to understand the context. Dickey Bradley, as is a defense attorney. He is paid well. He is paid handsomely. to defend criminals. And so he’s speaking to a very specific audience when he’s giving his interviews. And as the key is well known, not just for his courtroom performances, but his media performances. And so I chalk it up to that. Dickie Bradley is speaking to his specific audience. But when you look at the state of emergency, and I always say it is not a tool that we often use. And it is one of last resort, but it has yielded significant results over the last month. We’re talking 25 or so weapons, in some instances, very high powered weapons removed from the streets making our communities safer. We’re talking about several charges, not just for murder, but for instances of robbery individuals being charged after the commissioner set up this specialized team. To investigate all of the offenses over the last five months. And when you look at it from that lens, and the lens of the safety and security of the law abiding citizens over the last month, I’m sure that you’ll have to agree with me. I think if we had one murder during the first month of the S.O.E. that’s a lot. And from various fronts, you can see the success of it.”
Last week, Doris Grant was taken to the court and charged for murder. While she and her attorney, Richard Dickie Bradley expressed surprise at the charge, today the Commissioner of Police, Chester Williams explained why the police looked at Grant as a suspect in the murder of Jaheim Fitzgibbon. He said Fitzgibbon was murdered soon after Grant and her common-law husband were shot at.
Chester Williams
Chester Willams, Commissioner of Police
“We have given intensive interviews where we had stated that the murder of the guy who was killed in the St. Martin’s area just before the SOE. I think Fitzgibbon. I don’t remember the name. Information suggests that his murder came after as a result of the concert they had at Tavern where Doris Grant and her common-law were shot. It was believed that the persons who did that shooting were from the Supal Street area. And in particular, that young man’s name was called. So it is believed that his shooting was a retaliation of the shooting of Doris Grant. So most naturally, the police will bring her in and her common law for questioning as well as other persons who are around them. So that is the reason why she was detained.”
On Friday, over five hundred pounds of marijuana and one hundred and seventy grams of cocaine were discovered in Dangriga. At around six a.m. police carried out an investigation inside three structures, inside which they found a deep freeze and several containers of drugs. Police have since detained Slovakian national, Ladislav Liptak and three Belizean nationals. We spoke with Commissioner of Police Chester Williams for an update on this discovery.
Chester Williams, Commissioner of Police
“I don’t know if he has met bail, but as I had said to the media before, we had an investigation involving him. Witnesses came forward, provided statements to the police, which was sufficient for us to be able to get sufficient evidence to charge him, and he was charged.”
Tonight, a woman is fighting for her life in the hospital while attempting to save another. Reports are that on Sunday night a woman was attempting to move an armadillo out of the way of oncoming traffic in Hattieville when she was hit by a car and critically injured. She was subsequently taken to the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital for treatment. According to Commissioner of Police, Chester Williams, police are still investigating the incident.
Reporter
“Is it true that a woman got knocked down because he was trying to save an armadillo?”
Chester Williams
Chester Williams, Commissioner of Police,
“That’s what I heard. That there was some armadillo that had been knocked down by a vehicle and the lady was going to pick up that armadillo without looking to see the oncoming traffic and she was hit by a vehicle.”
Police are investigating an incident that left one person hospitalized and a house in a state of disrepair. On Saturday, just after nine p.m. police were alerted of an S.U.V. that had driven directly into a house on Central American Boulevard in Belize city. The blue S.U.V. was found lodged under the wooden stilted structure and the driver was taken to the hospital. We spoke with Commissioner of Police, Chester Williams, for an update on the situation.
Reporter
“And the investigation of the RTA of the car driving into the house, has anyone been charged for that?”
Chester Williams
Chester Williams, commissioner of Police
“At this time, no police are still looking at that matter.”
The United Democratic Party is in shambles and the constant wrangling that plagues the once powerful organization threatens its viability heading into the next general elections. On Saturday, a scheduled National Party Council was aborted when tensions inside the U.D.P. headquarters almost resulted in an exchange of blows. It’s the worst that the infighting has ever been, with personal insults being traded among supporters of party leader Shyne Barrow and his many detractors. The meeting was set to begin at two o’clock and while followers of the party leader stood outside with placards, inside the venue a shouting match was underway. Moments later, Chairman Michael Peyrefitte exited the building after suspending the meeting. Nonetheless, those who had gathered for the N.P.C., including elected area representatives and delegates, stayed behind and continued their meeting before calling an impromptu press conference. Here’s News Five’s Isani Cayetano with that story.
Isani Cayetano, Reporting
Internal strife and leadership disputes have created a chaotic environment that will undoubtedly jeopardize the United Democratic Party’s chances in the 2025 general elections. Nowhere is this chasm more evident than in the failed meeting of the National Party Council, the second most powerful decision-making body within the U.D.P. What ought to have been a productive session to discuss various relevant issues within the political organization quickly devolved into confusion.
Alberto August
Alberto August, Deputy Chairman, U.D.P.
“We sought to conduct an N.P.C., a scheduled N.P.C. meeting this evening and it did not workout and I will not sit here and talk the party’s internal business to anyone.”
Deputy Chairman Alberto August abstained from discussing the rift, however, the truth of the matter is that the U.D.P. has been torn apart by factional infighting.
Shyne Barrow
Shyne Barrow, Party Leader, U.D.P.
“The meeting had to be suspended because some of our colleagues were not conducting themselves with the proper order, so we felt that it was, the party chairman felt that it was better to reschedule the meeting because at the end of the day, those that always talk about the constitution and regulations and rules have a difficult time accepting the will of the majority and have a difficult time accepting simple procedure. The central sets the agenda and then we go into the meeting and we conduct the affairs based on that agenda. But there was a lot of toxicity and disorderly conduct and the party chairman felt that it was better for us to suspend the meeting.”
Back in April, Port Loyola Standard Bearer Philip Willoughby married the daughter of his political opponent, Gilroy Usher Sr. The marriage clearly raised concerns among others within the party. The suspension of the NPC, according to Albert Area Representative Tracy Panton, is the result of UDP Chairman Mike Peyrefitte’s refusal to include on the agenda the issue of the process used to remove Willoughby.
Tracy Panton
Tracy Panton, Area Rep, Albert
“I sent him a message requesting that since the NPC was actually petitioned by the majority of the party, that we wanted our issue to be dealt with first. And the reason for that is, when we disenfranchise standard bearers, when we do not follow the constitution of the party in terms of dealing fairly with standard bearers, what in fact we do is that we disenfranchise the voters in the constituencies, particularly Port Loyola. In all of this process, while we were dealing with a specific issue, so that we could be clear on what the process would be.”
Once a beacon of unity and strength, factionalism has taken root, with various groups vying for control and influence. Many of those who showed up for the meeting are in staunch opposition to Shyne Barrow’s leadership.
Tracy Panton
“If we do not deal with the issues now, what will happen is if the party leader does not like you, he is going to pick off one standard bearer at a time and that certainly is not the democratic way. He tried to go after John Saldivar, who went to a convention and the people of Belmopan decided in that convention that John Saldivar would be their standard bearer. He tried to go after Denny Grijalva from Orange Walk Central, who was endorsed. He was the guest speaker at the endorsement convention. No. This party has a democratic process. We have a constitution, we have rules that must follow because we have to ensure fair play, [that] there is inclusion and that people’s voices, the decision makers of this party, their voices must be heard.”
A cabal made up of Belmopan Standard Bearer John Saldivar, Collet Area Representative Patrick Faber, Belize Rural Central Standard Bearer Beverly Williams, and Albert Area Representative Tracy Panton, is calling for Barrow’s removal as party leader.
Shyne Barrow
“The fact is that any attempt to unseat me or to move me or however you describe it, is an exercise in futility, as per the constitution. In order for that process to happen, it’s a hundred-and-twenty-day process if the party chairman were to entertain any petition because the national convention of the United Democratic Party is the highest body of this party. On August 13th, 2023, unanimously voted not only to re-elect myself and other leaders, but they put forward a motion that explicitly prohibited any change in leadership until after the next general elections.”
Despite Barrow holding firm to that agreement, there is a call for another national convention. Two hundred and thirty-two signatories from across sixteen constituencies have endorsed this call. A palace coup now seems afoot.
Patrick Faber
Patrick Faber, Area Representative, Collet
“Certainly, it was our intention to say to the leadership of the party that we were not pleased, as you know we aren’t, with the leadership of the honorable Shyne Barrow, and that we needed to make changes post haste. It’s not only the honorable Shyne Barrow, we were prepared to say the entire leadership because when we call a convention it is for everything, the party leader, the deputy leaders, the chairman and vice chairman. We need a reset, we need a change.”
That change, once the group is successful at triggering a national convention, will see Tracy Panton once again vying for the leadership of the United Democratic Party. She has the full support of John Saldivar.
John Saldivar
John Saldivar, Standard Bearer, Belmopan
“I think that Tracy has the qualities of the type of leader that we want, that can carry us into the next decade. So there isn’t, in my view, any opportunistic behavior on my part. I want to see Tracy become the first woman prime minister of Belize.”
Patrick Faber
“I don’t have anything different to say. I have made that very clear and just to, so that you understand, if I had wanted to run, nobody would stop me from running. So when you see I tell you that I am one hundred percent with her, that’s what I mean. I think that the time has come, as John has said, that we need to go to a different level and I really feel that Tracy, not only because she is a woman, but yes, she is a woman, I think she has the wherewithal, she has the character, she has the skill set needed to lead this party, and if that means we are propelled into government, to lead the country.”
According to the embattled party leader, this was all foreseen a year ago.
Shyne Barrow
“What we feared last year when we passed that motion was that you have some in the party that would prefer us to lose and lose terribly than to see the UDP flourish and prosper under my leadership because those people would prefer to be leaders themselves.”
For all the antipathy towards Barrow’s leadership and the sustained call for his removal, is stepping down before the next general election an option this late into his term?
Isani Cayetano
“With this much antipathy and vitriol, do you consider stepping down? I mean…”
Shyne Barrow
“Absolutely not. This is not the way democracy works. I was elected by the majority, I still enjoy the majority and I will continue until the next general elections.”
