Former U.D.P. Minister Herman Longsworth Being Criminally Investigated

Former U.D.P. Albert area representative Herman Longsworth is the subject of a criminal investigation.  Longsworth was fired by Prime Minister Dean Barrow after his name surfaced in the Auditor General’s Report on the National Sports Council.  Longsworth, who was the then Minister of State responsible for Sports reportedly created Go Enterprises Limited which received contracts for tens of thousands of dollars at the Marion Jones Sports Complex.  The payments were approved by former acting Sports Director, Patrick Henry, whose name also appears several times for suspicious cash transactions.  Since the report was tabled in the House of Representatives a week ago, the Prime Minister spoke to Longsworth and based on that conversation, Barrow decided to fire him from the post of Consul General of Belize in New York – a post which was created for him after he decided to step aside for Tracey Taegar Panton.  Today, Longsworth broke his silence, sending off a statement.  He says that he was never an officer of the company, but maintains some sort of affiliation.  Longsworth doesn’t name the company, but says that the company proceeded to carry out the works and that it was forced to cease the works when the National Sports Council was unable to continue to pay.  

Herman Longsworth

Longsworth says “I fully understand that my relationship with this company has cast a shadow over the administration under which I serve.  For that, I am regretful and sincerely apologize to all of you.” Interestingly, Longworth doesn’t make any mentions of two statements made by the Auditor General. Longsworth does not confirm or deny that of the monies the company received, five thousand dollars was put in his personal bank account and twenty-five thousand dollars was deposited in the U.D.P. Albert Committee account.  He says that he has written to the Auditor General to bring to her attention the irregularities in her report.  Well, investigators are looking closely at those reported irregularities. Commissioner of Police Chester Williams told the media today that Longsworth will be criminally investigated to determine if he committed crimes.

Hipolito Novelo

“Sir has your office received directives to investigation Herman Longsworth to see if any criminal charge can be levied against him and other players, the former acting sports director?”

Chester Williams

Chester Williams, Commissioner of Police

“I don’t think I need a directive from anybody to do my job.  If it is that there is some degree or evidence or what you refer to as prima facie evidence that a crime has been committed it is the duty of the police to investigate. Mr. Longsworth was named in the audit report. There are certain things that were said that he did that is prima facie evidence that a crime has been committed. So, he is going to be a subject of the investigation as well. The investigators will go after him and do what needs to be done to ascertain that in fact he had committed a crime.”