2024-09-30 - Channel 5 Belize

ComPol: “Not an Iota of Evidence” Points to Perez in Drug Bust

In an interesting turn of events on Friday, law enforcement officers uncovered as many as four hundred and seventy-four grams of suspected cocaine aboard a boat docked on the island town of San Pedro. The vessel, upon closer inspection, was found to belong to none other than the Minister of Blue Economy, Andre Perez. The discovery was prompted by vigilant residents of the Back-a-Town area, who reported seeing familiar faces from the local drug scene frequenting the vicinity. The boat had been moored for several months due to necessary repairs. This has led police to rule out Minister Perez as a suspect in this unfolding investigation. Commissioner of Police Chester Williams provided an update on the case, shedding light on the ongoing efforts to trace the origins of the narcotics and bring those responsible to justice.

Chester Williams, Commissioner of Police

“The boat had been moored at the boat yard to undergo repairs for about six months. He had not used the boat and that he pays a monthly fee of about two-fifty for the boat to be kept at that boat yard. The statement of Mister Perez was collaborated by the owners of the boatyard, as well as the watchman and the boat captain. And so based on that, we could not tied the drugs to mister Perez, There’s no information, not even the slightest aota of evidence to suggest that the drugs belong to him. And while the boatyard is managed by a group of people, we could not tie them either because the boatyard is open, there are several ins and out to the boatyard, so anybody could walk into the boatyard and put what they want to put in any boat on the property itself. And so we could not have even hold those people accountable. This is not a boat that is closed up. It’s an open boat. Like one of those Mexican Nanchon. Like one of those. So it is easy for anybody to place anything in the boat. We have a basic idea as to who the person is that we have placed it there. We are in search of that person, but from all indications, he went to Corozal. We have also notified the Corozal police to go and look for him. Because we have gathered information on the person. We have found a good amount of cocaine, parts of cocaine. And he might have taken some of them to Corozal for sale. So we’re hoping that we can find that person soon, and then we’ll be able to interview him for us.”

Reporter

“What about the watchman? What do you mean he’s allowed to watch the boats?”

Chester Williams

“The watchman is not there twenty-four seven.”

PM Says Drug Pushers Weren’t Framing Minister Perez

On Saturday, Prime Minister John Briceño dismissed claims that the Minister was being framed. He suggested that clever drug traffickers were exploiting the situation, using the unattended boat as a convenient hiding spot for their illicit stash.

Prime Minister John Briceño

“No, I don’t think it’s someone who’s trying to set [him] up. I think it’s someone who was smart because Andre has not been using his boat. It’s just docked there for more than six months. He has not used the boat and they felt that if they put anything there, the police will not think about going to search his boat. But when somebody tipped off the police, the police didn’t care if it was Honorable Andre Perez’s boat. They went to check and they found the drugs. But it has been abundantly clear that Andre had not been using his boat and that these people are – you have to give it to them – they’re quite ingenious. They try to hide it in front of everybody in effect noh.”

Policeman Remanded for Assaulting Olympian Shaun Gill

Tonight, a police officer accused of assaulting Olympian Shaun Gill last week is currently on remand at Belize Central Prison. His bail application is expected to be heard as early as Friday, October fourth, 2024. Earlier today, PC Lewis Pascascio, who resides on Gabourel Lane, Belize City, appeared in court at around ten a.m. with his attorney, Emérita Anderson. He faced two criminal charges: aggravated assault with a firearm and one count of threatening words. However, before the charges were read, the police prosecutor withdrew the charge of threatening words, citing procedural issues. This left Pascascio to answer only the aggravated assault charge. Shaun Gill alleges that PC Pascascio threatened him, saying, “if you make a report against me, that will be the last report you ever make”. In Courtroom #1, before the Chief Magistrate, Pascascio was formally charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, specifically a firearm, against Shaun Gill. He pleaded not guilty. Due to the severity of the offense, bail was denied, and Pascascio was remanded to Belize Central Prison until November 30, 2024.

ACP Hilberto Romero, Regional Commander, Eastern Division

“Shaun Gill reported on Thursday, the twenty-sixth of September, 2024. He was driving his vehicle along with a female on Cemetery Road. When he was intercepted by another vehicle who blocked his way. Thereafter Shaun Gill made checks to see what was happening. At this point, he was assaulted by a male person. who with a firearm. Thereafter to another police who was in the area intervening, the firearm was taken away from this male person. An investigation was carried out. And we have since arrested a child named Pascasio, a police officer of the crime of aggravating assault. He was taken to court this morning.”

Reporter

“Dis he also threaten Shaun Gill when he went to make a report?”

Hilberto Romero

“There were both at the station at the time of an exchange of words. That is also being dealt with.”

Chester Williams, Commissioner of Police

“You can’t compare the issue with Makin and the one with Pascasio. It’s like comparing apples and oranges. Sargeant Makin was responding to a complaint from two miners who had complained to him. of being assaulted by a group of people. Pascasio incident, he was not working. He was responding to his feeling of jealousy. How could you compare the two? We have to be fair. And call things from what they are. And not try to twist our story. Doesn’t make sense..”

ComPol Scolded for Bordering on Contempt of Court

Commissioner of Police, Chester Williams found himself in hot water with Belize’s Association of Defense Attorneys. In a press release, the association chastised Williams for making a statement to the media where he expressed dissatisfaction with the results of several court rulings. In the case of Jaron James, the Belizean-American who was charged with assaulting Williams, he stated that the fine of one thousand, five hundred dollars was not a harsh enough punishment. Conversely, Williams also said that he believed the charges levied against Inspector Christopher Martinez, who was accused of abusing a detainee, were excessive. In response, Commissioner Williams says that he is entitled to his opinion.

Chester Williams, Commissioner of Police

“When one of those same members of the Association for Defense Attorneys had gone and given interview to the media and said that we are bringing white judges to send black people to jail. Was there any concern with this? I would say that border contempt of court as well. We have a society where some people feel that they can do certain things. But when others do less than what they did, they want to make an issue. That association, while I have the utmost respect for its members, their job is to defend those persons who fall within the domain of the police who have committed a crime. And of course, they will do all they can to make sure that they defend their constituents. As a commissioner of police, I have a responsibility. Not just to myself, but to the country and the officers that I knew. And I maintain my position that the same way we’re saying to police officers, don’t abuse the public, because if you do, you’re going to jail. The same way we must tell the public, don’t abuse the police, because if you do, you’re going to jail. You can’t, we can’t have a society where people don’t respect the police. They don’t respect the courts. They don’t respect the media. They don’t respect public officers. The group of people I mentioned just now do or perform a duty to respond to when that duty is being executed, we must be respectful. Including you, it cannot be that when you’re out there trying to cover a very important story, somebody comes and assaults you and gets away with it. It cannot be. By so doing they do a disservice to the nation.”

Police Investigating Fraudulent Passports and Birth Certificate

Authorities are delving into a scandal at the Vital Statistics Unit involving the issuance of fraudulent passports and birth certificates. Earlier this year, an investigation uncovered that employees at the unit were selling fake legal documents, including social security cards, birth certificates, and passports, leading to their dismissal. Now, numerous illicit documents have surfaced, prompting further scrutiny. Commissioner of Police Chester Williams has provided an update on the ongoing investigation, as the authorities work to unravel the extent of this fraudulent operation and bring those responsible to justice.

Chester Williams, Commissioner Of Police

“I know that we are looking at an issue where a person had presented a birth certificate which from our indications was not authentic. I just spoke to mister Romero this morning in respect to that matter and had given him some instructions in terms of what I would like to see done with that issue. The major crime unit will be checking with the Ministry of Immigration to see if we can get the documentations for those two persons who we were told had received passports based on these fraud and birth certificates. And once we get the report from Immigration we will launch an investigation into that matter. We’ll also check the vital stats from what we will need to understand is that. The birth certificates were issued by VitalStats, but perhaps somebody who works there, but has some separate operations outside of the office. I know that they have discharged a number of persons from the VitalStats statistical office. And so we’ll see what information we can get from them, and then we will launch an investigation people with the two people.”

Reporter

“Are they in the country or outside?”

Chester Williams

“I’m not sure.”

Reporter

“If they are outside. And somewhere that’s not, that you can’t, they can’t be extradited, what happens then?”

Chester Williams

“We will have to look at it and see at the very least though if the passports were fatally obtained immigration is going to cancel them, revoke them. And once they are revoked, then we will put up a notice on Interpol database informing the world that these passports has been revoked.”

PM Not Surprised by Feinstein Group’s Reaction over Stake Bank Issue

The National Trade Union Congress of Belize (N.T.U.C.B.) has voiced strong opposition to the government’s compulsory acquisition of a twenty-three-acre extension of Stake Bank Island. In a letter to Prime Minister John Briceño, the N.T.U.C.B. questioned whether the acquisition truly serves a public purpose, suggesting instead that it might be aimed at protecting international investors from financial loss rather than benefiting Belizeans. Prime Minister Briceño responded by referencing legislation from the previous administration concerning projects of national importance that have stalled and cannot be resolved independently. He noted that declining cruise tourism numbers were tied to the cruise port project, implying that the acquisition was necessary to revive this sector. Late last week, the Feinstein Group, the original owners of the island, announced plans to challenge the government’s acquisition on multiple grounds. They accused the government of favoring Honduran businessmen with dubious business practices, pointing to a sixty-two-million-dollar loan tied to the Stake Bank project that went into receivership back in May. The Feinstein Group also criticized the Prime Minister’s response to the N.T.U.C.B., calling it inaccurate and misleading. When approached for further comment on Saturday, Prime Minister Briceño expressed no surprise at the Feinstein Group’s stance and indicated that he had no interest in engaging in a back-and-forth on the issue.

Prime Minister John Briceño

“I’m not surprised by the response of the Feinstein Group, but I’m not going to go back and forth to them. We have responded to, to the NTUCB. We firmly believe that we’re doing is in the best interest of this country and once you know that’s what you’re doing, you continue doing as best as you can.”

Reporter

“Do you look at the merits though, especially as the former Minister of Natural Resources, of that other piece of legislation, particularly as the NTUCB is saying we could avoid litigation using that legislation, the promoters one.”

Prime Minister John Briceño

“You see, but the Promoters Act, what they do not understand is that the Promoters Act, the two parties have to agree and right now, there’s no agreement. And so, we’ll never have an agreement. When one promoter is asking for fifty million U.S. dollars, and one-twenty-five or one-fifty, I think one-twenty-five per head tax in perpetuity for twenty-three acres, that’s unreasonable. So it will never happen. So the only option we have is the compulsory acquisition, but again, the first process, you put it out there, the owner comes and says, well, this is what I want. You have a negotiation, and if you can’t come to an agreement, then the courts will decide how that’s going to be resolved. In relation to the indemnity for the state bank, you didn’t answer all the details that the NTUCB was asking for. They want to see whatever was signed. Because it’s not necessary. The money is in the bank. The indemnity is there. The cabinet has approved that. That was Very, those are abundantly clear what is there.”

GoB to Hand Over Technical Report on Hospital Land to Social Partners

The social partners are calling for full disclosure of documents related to the government’s six-point-nine-million-dollar land acquisition for the new University Hospital. Earlier this month, the Belize Chamber of Commerce, the Belize Network of NGOs, the National Trade Union Congress of Belize, and the Belize Council of Churches invoked the Freedom of Information Act. They sent a letter to Minister of Natural Resources Cordel Hyde and Minister of Health and Wellness Kevin Bernard, requesting all pertinent information regarding the land purchase from Kenny Zheng and Annie Zhu. The letter to Minister Bernard specifically asks for a copy of the technical report and the minutes from the hospital’s working group meetings. Prime Minister John Briceño assured that the request will be addressed, at least partially, within a week.

Prime Minister John Briceño

“They’ve been asking for the technical report for the Ministry of Health, and yes, we will turn it over to them shortly.”

Reporter

“As well as the Sale Agreement and all ah dehn thing from Lands and Finance.”

Prime Minister John Briceño

“I don’t know if they asked for that, but again. We’re flogging a dead horse. We have made everything available. What’s more is the agreement – the DPM has explained what the agreement is all about. There’s nothing more. But I could understand that they want to see the technical report. So we should be able to get that to them probably in the next week or so.”

PM Briceño on Survey Findings and Corruption

In a recent survey by Viking Strategies, the electorate’s views on various pressing issues were brought to light, including the popularity of political parties, individual politicians, and the perceived corruption within the current administration. Briceño commented that corruption is largely a matter of perception and emphasized that restoring the electorate’s full confidence will be a gradual process. He also highlighted a positive takeaway from the survey: over half of the respondents believe that the government is steering the country in the right direction.

Prime Minister John Briceño

“I have taken a look, but I’ve not had a chance to really sit down and to study but things that jump out on you overall that people are happy with the government and that they believe that we’ve been doing a pretty good job but like in everything there’s always more to be done. The issue of corruption, the numbers have gone down somewhat but people are still concerned about corruption and rightly so because it’s just people’s perceptions, in many instances, it’s perception, and it will take some time to be able to win back the people’s full confidence and for them to – for corruption not to be in the top of their minds, because they recognize that the country is going in the right direction for the first time since these polls are being conducted. The majority, more than 50 percent believe that we’re going in the right direction, but yes, crime is an issue. We know that. Corruption is always a perception there, and it will take time for us to be able to address those issues.”

PM Briceño Believes P.U.P. Will be Re-elected

When questioned about the People’s United Party’s prospects in the upcoming elections, the Prime Minister expressed cautious optimism. He acknowledged that taking voters for granted is never wise, but he firmly believes that the P.U.P. has earned the electorate’s trust and support once more. Briceño also took the opportunity to remind everyone of the dire economic situation the P.U.P. inherited in late 2020 and their remarkable turnaround since then.

John Briceno, Leader, People’s United Party

“We could never take the people for granted and people could change their minds overnight for whatever reasons, but if things stay as they are right now, I feel I’m confident that when we call elections that we are going to get a second mandate to continue to build on what we have done. We need to remind ourselves where we were. We were in a deep hole, and we’ve managed to come out of the hole and people are starting to – the country is moving forward and Belizeans are seeing it. Belizeans are feeling it. Yes, there’s a lot more to be done. Yes, we can do better, but the point is that by any metrics that you want to use, or by any measurements that you may want to use, we have done exceedingly well, beyond the expectations of most people over the last four and a half years. So I believe that when the elections are called, that I think that we’ll be able to get the support once again, to continue building on what we have done for another five years.”

John Briceño, Family Man and Friend

The survey reveals that Briceño currently stands as the most popular politician in Belize. When asked about his reaction to this accolade, he expressed humility and gratitude, particularly towards those closest to him who help keep him grounded on key issues. He also shared a personal touch, mentioning that alongside managing the nation’s affairs, he juggles family chores and relies on the unwavering support of friends and family, whom he thanked for their invaluable assistance.

Prime Minister John Briceño

“I’m humbled but we just have to continue working. That’s all I can say, continue to work and to continue to keep your foot grounded. I have to give credit to people like Rossana and Jaime, and even my children because when I get home, Rossana tells me “Tonight is your turn to wash dishes.” So I have to go wash dishes, you know. And then I have close friends like Narda and Stuart and Eamon that would constantly be – and Jaime of course, who would always be calling my attention. If they believe that they see something is going wrong. So you’ll need people that can tell you, Hey, not everything is perfect. If you do something wrong that they can call you. And I think that helps you to keep to keep me grounded in politics.”