Firing Herman Longsworth is Not Enough, Says Opposition Leader
Herman Longsworth
Belize’s Consul General in New York Herman Longsworth has been fired after an audit report into the finances of the National Sports Council revealed serious cash irregularities. Longsworth, who was the then Minister of State with responsibility for Sports and the U.D.P. Albert Division Area Representative, was awarded the post after he stepped aside to make way for the current area representative Tracey Taegar Panton. But during his time as Minister, Longsworth, according to the audit, set up a company – Go Enterprises Limited – and awarded himself tens of thousands of dollars infrastructural works, without a written contract, at the Marion Jones Sporting Complex. Some of the monies went to his personal bank account and the account of the U.D.P. Albert Division. Longsworth was seen today in Belize City reportedly having his government-issued license plate changed. In the face of the findings, the Opposition is calling for criminal charges, along with that many others who have been named in the audit. P.U.P. Leader John Briceño also wants an audit of the books at the Consulate in New York.
John Briceño
John Briceño, Leader of the Opposition
“Criminal Charges should be levied against all of them. Somewhere the government favorite contractor comes in all of these things that are questionable dealings because Imer Hernandaz names also comes out and it is alleged that he received about two hundred thousand dollars; I think it was four fifty thousand dollars contracts, for landfill. It seems there is no accounting of any landfill or how much landfill was delivered by Imer Hernandez. In everything that looks crooked and questionable somewhere this gentleman’s name comes up. It is time for the Prime Minister to act. The Prime Minister has been like the circus master always trying to spin and spin to know but the reality is that he hold nobody accountable. It is not enough to fire Herman Longsworth. We need a full audit as to what has taken place whilst Herman was the Consul General in New York. A lot of monies go through that office. For instance they issue passports on behalf of the Government of Belize. They issue visas on behalf of the Government of Belize. The monies they collect offering these services is in the tune of hundreds of thousands of dollars. We want to know how many passports were issued. How many visas were issued and where is that money? We are demanding that if the Prime Minister wants to come clean he needs to do and he can get it done in two weeks.”
Hipolito Novelo
“We understand that as well they are shutting down the consul?”
John Briceño
“Well it was obvious that this was just as what I said, a quid pro quo; you give up Albert for Tracey Taegar and we send you to New York on retirement and enjoy your last five years of the U.D.P. government. So obviously there was absolutely no need to have a Consul General office in New York City. You could see that the Prime Minister has been self serving always about him and not finding the truth and what has taken place under his leadership as the Prime Minister of this country.”
