Warrant Issued for Former Government Minister: Attorney Says He is Out of the Country

From as early as January of this year, former Minister of Works, Rene Montero Senior has been the subject of a police investigation into alleged wrongdoing that occurred while he was in office under the previous U.D.P. administration.  Today, the Belize Police Department issued a warrant for the arrest of Montero Senior and George Andrews, who our sources say was employed in the Works Unit under Montero’s watch.  The arrest warrant was made out and addressed to Inspector of Police Julio Shal and to all Police Constables. It alleges that Montero and Andrews “willfully abused their authority to the injury of the public between April fourteenth, 2016 and November twelfth, 2020.” The pair is accused of Willful Oppression, which contravenes Sections 284 and 309 of the Criminal Code, Chapter 101 of the Laws of Belize.  The signature on the arrest warrant is not legible, but the Belize Police Department’s accompanying wanted poster is clear.  Police sources have informed News Five that the police will serve the two wanted men with the warrant for their arrest as soon as they are located.  This evening, a letter was sent to media houses from Elrington and Company that their client, Rene Montero Senior, is out of the country getting medical treatment and that no one from his family has been contacted, nor have police visited his residence. The statement claims the warrant is politically motivated and an attempt to distract Belizeans from larger issues facing the country.