Cotton Tree Village Council takes G.O.B. to court
This morning, attorneys for the Cotton Tree Village Council and the government of Belize met in Supreme Court for case management. The dispute is over two hundred and fifty-four lots which were acquired by government and subdivided. The lots were then issued to eight U.D.P. area representatives in Belize City for distribution to their supporters. This was done without consultation with the Cotton Tree Village Council. Last week, Minister and Pickstock Area Representative, Wilfred Elrington, revealed that he had brokered the deal for the land with a Taiwanese client of his, but claimed that the parcel was not within Cotton Tree boundaries. Today, Attorney Andrew Marshalleck disputed that claim by Elrington.
Andrew Marshalleck, Attorney for Cotton Tree Village Council
“He’s really in between a rock and a hard place, because if the law says that you must consult with the Village Council to deal with any lands in the village, and there’s clearly been no consultation he can point to, then his only other choice is to say that the land isn’t really in the village, so that’s not surprising.”
Reporter
Andrew Marshalleck
“Not only that, but he also says that it’s privately owned, that he approached this businessman Mr. Tseng to buy the land from him, not from the Village Council per se.”
Andrew Marshalleck
“Yeah but you do appreciate the contradiction in what you just said, because you said that the land is privately owned but it can’t still be privately owned if they bought it from the private person with public money. It doesn’t matter who owned it back then, it’s who owns it now, and if the government owns it now it is public lands. If it was that Mr. Elrington wanted to do a private development, he should have taken money out of his own pocket and given it to his friend Mr. Tseng…and then he could have done with the land exactly as he pleases.”
The parties will reappear in Court on September fifteenth for the commencement of the substantive hearing.
Marshalleck, “it’s better to remain quiet and be thought of as a fool, than to open ones mouth and remove all doubt.”
Where in the history of Belize do you hear of any Politician taking money out of their own pockets to purchase land to give to their constituents? Seriously!!
I think you just di hustle my boy.
What’s the big deal anyway. What is SO wrong for people from the City to get a house lot some way out deh long the roadside?
I believe elsewhere someone insinuated it probably has something to do with skin color. If that is so,Please, no start that. No even go deh!
I disagree. Thats not the issue here. The issue is these htiefing politicians alway feel like the peoples money is their and can do with it as they wish. Its not for them.