Tracy Panton Ready For Mediation

Attorney for Albert Area Representative Tracy Panton has written Registrar Treina Young, indicating that their client is ready for mediation. In the letter, Arnold and Company states, “We write pursuant to Court Order dated the 23 day of December, 2024, in which Mister Justice Dr. Hondora at paragraph 14 ordered: ’14. The parties are strongly encouraged to resolve their dispute with the assistance of a mediator of their choice or through a court-facilitated mediation programme. If the parties require the assistance of the court, they shall write to the court office by 6 January 2025.'”

He says that the Defendants, Panton and Phillipa baily, “therefore now inform the Court that they require the assistance of the court to facilitate mediation.”

“It is anticipated that Counsel shall continue dialogue in order to identify an agreed Mediator.”

Panton and Opposition Leader Moses “Shyne” Barrow remain locked in a leadership battle within the UDP, which political scientist Dr. Dylan Vernon describes as being in “self-destruct mode.” On Friday, Panton’s faction, Alliance for Democracy, met in Belize City and rejected two proposals from a major party donor: a coalition involving four constituencies under Barrow’s leadership and a compromise recognising Barrow as leader in exchange for allowing Panton’s candidates to run as UDP.