U.D.P. threaten “appropriate action” if P.M. doesn’t resign
He may have gained some breathing room when he withdrew the U.H.S. bailout motion on Friday, but Prime Minister Said Musa remains squarely in the crosshairs of his political opponents. Today the United Democratic Party produced an affidavit filed in the Supreme Court by the Belize Bank in connection with the injunction sought by the A.C.B. and others against the Government. The U.D.P. claims that the document, signed by Belize Bank Chairman Phil Johnson, is proof that Musa still has plenty to hide. News Five’s Janelle Chanona attended today’s press conference and files the following report.
Dean Barrow, Leader of the Opposition
“Ladies and Gentlemen, I don’t know about you but really I’m becoming sick and tired of the Prime Minister’s lies.”
Janelle Chanona, Reporting
That was the tone set by Leader of the Opposition Dean Barrow this morning during a press conference called by the United Democratic Party to reveal the contents of an affidavit by Chairman of the Belize Bank, Philip Johnson. According to Barrow, several statements sworn to by Johnson, contradict those of Prime Minister Said Musa.
(May 18th, 2007)
Dean Barrow
“Will the Prime Minister say whether and when he will make available to members of the House copies of the Loan Note and Settlement Deed he signed with the Belize Bank on March twenty-third, 2007 in respect of the U.H.S. debt?”
Prime Minister Said Musa
“Madam Speaker, the Loan Note and the Settlement Deed were signed as part of structured negotiations with the Belize Bank to settle the U.H.S. debt. As I had mentioned in the statement I made to the nation last week, they were never intended as a final settlement of the matter.”
Dean Barrow
“That answer to my question was another deliberate lie on the part of the Prime Minister meant to deceive, meant to confuse, meant to conceal. Mr. Johnson says, and let me read it again, as I explain further below, the March Settlement Agreement was enteredinto in full and final settlement of the Government’s liabilities under the guarantee. They were not negotiational stops along the way…that was the end game.”
“The additional twelve million dollars that this man borrowed by way of a separate loan agreement, he represented to the bank in effect that that had been taken to National Assembly. I’m going to have a problem; the bank is saying that because of these representations it feels that it must still get its money. But man the bank no live yah? The people dah the bank no live dah Belize? They noh must know that it didn’t go in fact to the National Assembly?”
“He [Philip Johnson] is saying in the event we win the case filed by A.C.B. and others and the court were to declare that all these agreements are invalid because they are in violation of the law, he has been advised that the Bank would then have a case against the Government for the full amounts due because the March Settlement Deed, the March Loan Note and of course the additional facility were procured by the fraudulent misrepresentatives or misstatements made by the Prime Minister/Minister of Finance and the Attorney General (applause).”
“So he’s [Prime Minister Said Musa] not just accused of fraud, it can plainly be seen by all of us, especially with respect to the additional loan facility of twelve million dollars contracted by him on the twenty-ninth of March of this year, that he violated the Finance and Audit Act in doing this. And that he nevertheless, represented to the Belize Bank that he had the authority to do it and that he had satisfied the requirements; he did not call out the Finance and Audit Act by name but of our laws which must include the Finance and Audit Act. That is, as the Belize Bank has said, an act of fraud. On that basis, you don’t have to have a political agenda, you only have to a good governance agenda, you only have to have an agenda that says that the constitution of this country must be respected, you only have to have an agenda that says nobody is bigger than the law including the Prime Minister of this country, to recognize that you must, you are left with no choice but to insist that this man resign and fix the date for elections.”
According to Barrow, the U.D.P. is now calling on its social partners to force the Prime Minister’s resignation.
Dean Barrow
“If we have to go it alone, we are prepared to say to the Prime Minister, we are going to give you a certain amount of time in which you need to do the only thing possible under the constitution and if you don’t the United Democratic Party will take all appropriate action (applause). That means every option can be considered.”
During the press conference Barrow called on the Belize Chamber of Commerce to grant the U.D.P. a meeting to discuss the latest developments regarding the U.H.S. debt. Reporting for News Five, I am Janelle Chanona.
In response to the U.D.P. press conference, this afternoon the Musa administration issued a press release asserting that, “The Prime Minister and his government were well aware that by not following through with the motion last Friday, that the Belize Bank would go to court to protect its banking interest … In the bank’s very affidavit, it states that all was done in good faith, that the bank is not inflexible and that in fact, despite having an agreement, it had already moved on to another possible settlement with G.O.B. … The P.U.P. Government will not be distracted. It will continue, as the progressive government that it is to continue moving toward keeping the doors of U.H.S. open with the private sector involvement and arrangements so that all Belizeans can have access and afford the best health care available in Belize.”
The legal department of the Belize Bank issued its own response to the U.D.P. press conference this afternoon, declaring: “The Leader of the Opposition read selectively from an affidavit filed by Philip Johnson on behalf of the Bank. The affidavit is intended solely for use at the court hearing … It should not have been referred to by the Leader of the Opposition because it may only be used for the proceedings and not for collateral purposes. The Bank strongly deplores this attempt to influence the outcome of court proceedings by trial in the media and before the matter has even been heard.”
This morning Dean Barrow, when prompted regarding relations between himself and the Belize Bank, maintained that because he has chosen to represent the A.C.B., N.T.U.C.B., B.M.D.U., and Godwin Hulse in their efforts to prevent settlement of the U.H.S. debt with public monies, all ties between his firm and the Bank have been severed.
