Matura-Shepherd on U.D.P. Campaign Financing

Audrey Matura-Shepherd

But the issue of campaign financing also came up on Wednesday when Audrey Shepherd Matura held a press conference to discuss what she had spoken about over breakfast with Lord Ashcroft. Matura Shepherd says that as U.D.P. Senator she sought financing for her party.

Audrey Matura-Shepherd, Attorney

“I’ve met the man only once, fifteen years ago. And no matter what the U.D.P. says and how much they apologize and everything, I met him through the United Democratic Party as a senator. The meeting was not a favorable meeting; it ended to me in a very bad note. It doesn’t matter how much Doug Singh, Audrey Wallace and sadly senator Ayuso, who is dead now, want to deny it, it ended bad because I did curse him out.  Because of how we met then, I didn’t think he would ever want to talk to me again. And what was key then was that at that time, the U.D.P. sent me to be one of the delegates to meet him because they were in negotiation as to campaign financing for the party. I got a directive from my then party leader, Dean Barrow, that I was to stop write about Michael Ashcroft. And if you all want, go check your records of the Guardian newspaper and you will see that we had a history to go after him and then suddenly it all stopped. I honestly feel that our government, none of our parties, have ever come out and declared how much millions Mister Ashcroft has given them and I can tell you he has. And he has not denied it. I mentioned it to him again and the thing is he has always given the P.U.P. double what he has given the U.D.P. That’s then…of course things seem to have changed recently. You want me to be accountable, I can be accountable, but the same way you hold me accountable as an average Belizean, please hold your political leaders accountable. Go find out right now where they are getting their campaign financing.”