Former Works Councilor says CITCO Received the ‘Unaccounted’ Equipment

In an interview last week, former Belize City Mayor Darrell Bradley confirmed to News Five that despite having made repeated requests about the missing equipment, the Caterpillar Bulldozer, the eighteen feet flatbed trailer, and the John Deer tractor were never delivered to the council. But the former councilor responsible for Works says otherwise. Dean Samuels, who says that the equipment was part of the Sanitation Department, told News Five that the council received the equipment.

Dean Samuels, Former Belize City Councilor

Dean Samuels

“Let me be honest with you City Council got their equipment. If you guys check whatever was sent to the media, Dean Samuels name did not get mentioned. Not even one time. Let us clear that part up. Dean Samuels was the councilor for works. Those machines that were brought it were for sanitation.  Proper protocol is followed. City Council did not buy any equipment. Let us be real. Protocol was followed to find out who owned the equipment or who will get the equipment. I personally, I am not the mayor. It is not something that would get in personally. The bottom line about it, as what I say as far as I concern that whole situation is more political than anything else. People grand stand. For me it is politics. Those people are showing that they are not doing any work, and get all hype to find equipment, bulldozer, and trailer like it is something out of this world. Listen to me when we went to City Council we did not had a Works Department. When you guys went to the work department, did you see what is up there? When we went there we did not have a pound yard. We did not have equipment. They found millions of dollars of equipment there and going on that kind of way. I personally was never in charge. I personally was never the mayor. I will not get at the end of the day involve or have anything to say concerning that. Protocol was followed and if you follow the paper trail and that was that.”

Reporter

“So that equipment was never suppose to be something that your portfolio was responsible for?”

Dean Samuels

“I am Works Department. I am not Sanitation Department. All those equipment were brought for Sanitation Department. And at the end of the day, in the same letter that was sent it shows that council received all the equipment. So the equipment was here. Bottom line.”

Hipolito Novelo

“That is something refuted by the former mayor Darrell Bradley. He said the council did not received those three equipment.?”

Dean Samuels

“Like what I said, if you watched what the auditor sent from the Belize City Council those equipment that were listed on it…”

Hipolito Novelo

“Listed but not received. It was not delivered to the Council.”

Dean Samuels

“If it is license and got insured it means that at the end of the day they received it. Bottom line.”

Hipolito Novelo

“So at the end of the day, as a person elected to that council, as an elected politician, a public servant did you not share or express concern because I believe it was discussed during the caucus meetings on these unaccounted equipment. Did you not express concern? It cost tens of thousands of dollars.”

Dean Samuels

“Of course, like what I said, the city council did not purchase these equipment. They were gifted to us. But I will be honest with you, protocol was followed by the proper person in charge to do such. So at the end of the day that was not my job to do that so for me that wasn’t here or there. That was a concern.”