Supreme Court rules in favour of bus co-op
Earlier this month, the members of the Belize Bus Owners Cooperative made headlines when they launched a public campaign against the takeover of their routes by the Novelo family’s National Transport Limited. The B.B.O.C. eventually took their case to the Supreme Court and a ruling this week has bolstered the cooperative’s confidence.
Through their attorney Lois Young-Barrow, on Monday the approximately thirty members of the B.B.O.C. applied for an injunction against Government’s plans to shut down the operations of the cooperative. In a letter dated July seventh, Chief Transport Officer Michael Godoy informed the B.B.O.C. that the decision had been taken based on a contract between the cooperative and the Novelo group that failing the members ability to meet its runs, National Transport would assume management of the company. But the B.B.O.C. has maintained to the media that the basis of the Novelo claim, and therefore Government’s position, is flawed because two members, whose names appear as signatories on the contract, have denied ever signing such a document. Moreover, the B.B.O.C. argued that it is the Transport Board, not Michael Godoy, that has the power to revoke permits and such revocation could only occur if specific conditions were breached.
Solicitor General Edwin Flowers is representing the Government’s interest in the case and maintained that the decision to shut down the B.B.O.C. was made by the Transport Board and is therefore open to appeal so any order for leave for judicial review would be premature.
In handing down his decision, Chief Justice Abdulai Conteh ordered that the bus drivers be allowed to continue their runs until the matter can be resolved by either the Transport Department or the Supreme Court. The C.J. also ordered the Government to pay the cooperative’s legal fees of five thousand dollars. Of note is that during the proceedings, both Young- Barrow and the SolGen objected to the Novelo group being added to the case as an interested party.
