24 Hours for Opposition Leader to Present Proof in Drug Plane Allegations

John Briceño

Attorney General Michael Peyrefitte has responded to bold assertions made by Opposition Leader John Briceño in his New Year’s address during which he states that the endless landings of drug planes around the country are directly tied to ranking members of the United Democratic Party.  In his capacity as government’s chief legal officer, Peyrefitte challenges the P.U.P. party leader to bring forth the evidence he purportedly has or risk running himself into libel or slander.  The allegation, says AG Peyrefitte, is damning and threatens to damage the reputation of all government officials, despite not being named.  The party leader has been given twenty-four hours to come forward with the proof.

Michael Peyrefitte

Michael Peyrefitte, Attorney General

“It seems like we have become so accustomed to irresponsible comments by people and in the age of social media, almost immune to them.  But when words come from the Leader of the Opposition for Belize, the person who wants to be prime minister, the person who would be prime minister if the P.U.P. were to win in the elections, when you have irresponsible comments coming from him it’s a dangerous thing.  The Leader of the Opposition says that he has credible information which is evidence of U.D.P. officials high up in the government who are facilitating the landing of drug planes.  Now if that is true and you have information on that, why would you sit on that information?  If you have that information then produce that information because if you don’t have that information then what you’re saying is extremely libelous and that’s utter slander.  I mean, that is a serious, serious thing to say on national television and as a part of your message from the P.U.P.  Now I am giving the Leader of the Opposition twenty-four hours to provide that information.  If he doesn’t provide that information then I have to call him a liar and I will have to say that you cannot believe a word this man says if he’s going to say something like that and not produce the evidence.  You are casting aspersions on a number of different people who are for sure not involved in any illegal activity.  So for you to paint the senior officials in the U.D.P. with that broad brush without any evidence at all that is just outrageous.”