PM’s Letter May Lead to Defamation Case says U.D.P. Chairman

Chairman Peyrefitte also responded to the allegation that Barrow and Williams received over twenty million dollars from the Government of Belize under the U.D.P. administration, fourteen million of that twenty million in legal fees. Peyrefitte defended the U.D.P., contending that the claim is untrue and defamatory.

Michael Peyrefitte

Michael Peyrefitte, Chairman, U.D.P

“This is how the current Prime Minister puts about the Former Prime Minister and he put something here, I tell you, he might need to resurrect Johnnie Cochran.  He said, contrary to the lies told to the media and the public by the Former UDP Prime Minister Barrow, the Government of Belize paid to Barrow and Williams almost five million dollars, of which one point three million dollars were paid in legal fees. The difference it appears is primarily in connection with the Former Prime Minister’s law firm securing payments by the UDP Government to his law firm clients for land acquisitions by the government. This man is saying in writing that the Rt. Honorable Dean Barrow steered clients to his law firm, while he is the head of a UDP Government, made sure that his law firm and their clients benefitted from the government. Really, really, if there was ever a slam dunk case, really, you really would put that in a letter? I mean this person is mad, not true. You nuh think that if Barrow and Williams’ name was on any legal document going to court representing the government of Belize that the media wouldn’t have him for lunch? That was never the case. The media never made a deal about Barrow and Williams representing the government because it didn’t.”