John Briceño: “The Prime Minister is spinning”

John Briceño

Chief Justice Kenneth Benjamin on January thirty-first ruled against the government, handing down a much anticipated verdict in which he declared that over one billion dollars were spent illegally and that the Prime Minister had violated the constitution. On February seventeenth, in a strongly worded letter, Prime Minister Dean Barrow made it clear to Opposition Leader John Briceño that the Chief Justice’s ruling is considered entirely unsatisfactory and the government would be appealing and seeking a stay on the C.J.’s six-month injunction. The PM also stated that the government has no intention of seeking any constitutional amendment any time soon.  Briceño today reacted to the Prime Minister’s letter. 

John Briceño, Leader, P.U.P.

“The Prime Minister is spinning that he felt that he had to say something but he knows that he cannot appeal the judgment. He cannot appeal it simply because his own attorney that was defending him went to court and said that “I know that the government broke the law, I know that the government broke the constitution but please try to be lenient.”  That is what he said. So there is absolutely no way that the Prime Minister can go and appeal. He is just trying to find some answer because he was caught, as we say the preverbal, with his pants down.”