Why No Statement, Amy Forte?

Dean Barrow

Through her attorney, she approached Prime Minister Dean Barrow’s office to clear her good name in relation to a land transaction involving the son of ex-Lands Minister Gaspar Vega. But Amy Forte appears unwilling to take the case any further by speaking to Police to show that her alleged signature on the deed of conveyance for a parcel of land in north Caye Caulker was falsified. As Minister of Natural Resources, P.M. Barrow said all avenues were explored for the case to move forward, but without Miss Forte’s statement the case is stalled. But that does not mean that Andre Vega’s swapped compensation on Mosquito Caye which was canceled by Government, will be returned.

Prime Minister Dean Barrow

“Miss Forte through her lawyer – it was only with the lawyer that I spoke – promised that there would be no difficulty giving the police a statement. I explained, when the lawyer called me, that I would move immediately to instruct the police to thoroughly pursue this matter, but it would have to depend on Miss Forte furnishing the police with the material. Miss Forte has not done so. The police have tried; I believe suggestions as to taking the statement outside of the ordinary course of having her come to the station were mooted and still she has proven unwilling. The police are therefore stymied, the police are therefore stalled, and absent Miss Forte changing her position and following through on the commitment the lawyer gave that she would give a statement, I’m afraid we’re stuck; especially given that the justice of the peace in front of whom the signature purported to have been made, is saying that Miss Forte did come, znd that it was Miss Forte who signed and that it was Miss Forte’s signature. In that kind of a scenario, with Miss Forte not being prepared to say to the police ‘No, that is not the case; it’s not my signature, let me take down my statement and let me sign to it, we’re really stuck. I don’t think that I am on a limb; I am perfectly certain that even without Miss Forte’s statement, we were entitled to cancel the conveyance, so that’s not going to be reversed.”