Mayor Bradley hauled to court for contempt

Fred Lumor

The Belize City Council often sends reminder to citizens to pay their taxes or face the court. In a reversal of fortune, the Mayor of Belize City Darrell Bradley had the unenvious task of being hauled before the court over a debt incurred by the City years before he became mayor. Belize Waste Control (B.W.C.) was the primary provider of garbage collection services for many years, but during one period, the city had hired other companies and neglected to pay B.W.C. in excess of one million dollars. That is why the company made an application for committal for Mayor Bradley to be held in contempt for the unpaid debt. The matter went into arbitration and in June, 2005 an award was made.   B.W.C., dissatisfied with the award, applied to the Supreme Court to set it aside. B.W.C. eventually agreed to terms but no money has ever been paid. The series of litigation continued in Supreme Court this morning and the attorney for B.W.C., Fred Lumor explained his client’s frustration.

Fred Lumor, Attorney for Belize Waste Control

“We applied to the Supreme Court and the award of arbitrators was entered as a judgment of the Supreme Court. City Council applied to the Supreme Court that they should pay the death weekly in the sum of ten thousand dollars; this was in the year 2009. At this time, the lawyer for City Council was the present mayor, Darrell Bradley. Not a cent was paid. So in 2011, we applied to the Supreme Court that the refusal of municipal authority to pay a debt ordered by the Supreme Court contravenes the constitutional right of Belize Waste Control. The court, in a decision delivered on the second of April last year, 2012, agreed that the failure to pay contravenes the rights of Belize Waste Control and ordered City Council to pay the debt forthwith; this was on the second of April 2012. Not one cent has been paid. We wrote to the City Council in May of last year; we wrote to them in June of last year; we wrote to them in July of last year [and] no payment was made. So we applied for contempt proceedings or committal proceeding against the mayor of the Belize City Council. The case was called up on the thirteenth of December last year. And each accession the case is called up, they ask for postponement to enable them make arrangements to pay this money to Belize Waste Control. As of today, I can tell you that the total debt owed under the judgment is about two point three million dollars; not one cent has been paid. Today, the judge called the lawyers into chambers and the City Council has given undertaking that they will file an affidavit about the financial position of the council and make some substantial payment and seek to make arrangement to settle the balance on terms to be proposed to the court. So the matter has been adjourned to the twenty-second of April to give the council sufficient time to resolve this matter by then. So this is what transpired this morning.”

Adele Ramos

“Has any information been offered as to why no funds have been paid to your client?”

Fred Lumor

“They said they are serious, they want to pay, but not one single explanation has been given why not even ten dollars has been paid under this judgment and interest continues to accrue on it on a daily basis.”