P.U.P. Files Legal Challenge of 2008 Compromis

The People’s United Party filed two weighty claims this week. First, the Special Agreement. This morning papers were delivered at the Supreme Court in which the P.U.P. is seeking a hearing to determine certitude and clearness on whether Foreign Minister Wilfred ‘Sedi’ Elrington had legal authority to bind Belize to the 2008 Compromis.  Now, over a decade has passed since the historic signing of the Special Agreement in Washington in December 2008; and it comes just a few weeks ahead of the April tenth referendum date.  The Leader of the Opposition John Briceño wrote to the Prime Minister on Tuesday and today the application was made. Should leave be granted, it will be presented by Senior Counsel Eamon Courtenay who is joined by a battery of attorneys.  The genesis of the claim precedes the Joint Legal Opinion on the constitutionality of the Special Agreement.  The P.U.P, is seeking to restrain the holding of the upcoming referendum until the court makes a decision on a course of action given the serious domestic and international importance.  Attorney Richard ‘Dickie’ Bradley was one of four original lawyers who researched and put together the Joint Legal Opinion.

Richard ‘Dickie’ Bradley

Richard ‘Dickie’ Bradley, Attorney-at-law

“Today is a historic day in the development of legal and governmental system that today is a massive behavior and action by lawyers in relation to the rule of law which is so important in any democracy.  The law firm of Eamon Courtenay filed a claim in the Supreme Court.  Today, the sixth day of March in the year of our Lord 2019, to challenge the legality and the constitutionality of the Special Agreement which also involves the matter of a referendum which is on the tenth of April, that the holding of that referendum would be a part of an illegal and unlawful and an unconstitutional action and the court ought not to tolerate it.  That claim has been worked on by a team of attorneys. Anthony Sylvestre, myself, my son Richard Bradley and Kareem Musa spent many hours researching the law and in the case of Anthony, Richard and myself and we were doing it at the request of the Belize Peace Movement.  Bobby Lopez and Hubert Enriquez, Godwin Sutherland and Paul Morgan and others, because they were convinced from day one that what was taking place had to be in violation of the constitution in some way or form.”