Was Ricardo Borja Killed For Coming Clean About Fraudulent Land Transactions?
Ricardo Borja
On Monday night, we told you about the execution of twenty-eight-year-old businessman Ricardo Borja outside of his Belize City apartment. Tonight, a leaked audio testimonial in which Borja reveals details of a sophisticated land fraud scheme that may just provide some insight into why he was murdered. In his testimonial, Borja names a real estate company in southern Belize and several employees at the Lands Department. Information suggests that one of Borja’s business partners was being investigated for possible fraud. That partner was reportedly trying to pin the allegation on Borja. That is until the eighteenth of August when Borja provided a recorded testimony, one day before he was murdered. News Five’s Paul Lopez reports.
Paul Lopez, Reporting
He was a well-known business man and a volunteer at the Belize Red Cross. But, a leaked testimonial reveals that twenty-eight-year-old Ricardo Borja may have gotten in over his head with some bad business through his consultancy firm. On Monday, Commissioner of Police Chester Williams told reporters that investigators have received information that paints Borja in a negative light.
Chester Williams
Chester Williams, Commissioner of Police
“We are getting several information that are negative towards him, in terms of his involvement with different activities but I am not going to get into those. But, yes it could be that it was one of those that may have led to his death, so we are looking at every angle that we can pursue in respect to this matter.”
In the twenty-three minute audio recording, Borja begins by explaining that someone he had worked with from Panama had a client that wanted to purchase land in Belize. He recommended a real estate agent in southern Belize and is heard in the recording saying that he found someone online. Borja reportedly met with that agent sometime later.
Voice of: Ricardo Borja
Voice of: Ricardo Borja, Murder Victim
“We then met at Tavern and had a discussion about doing closures and so forth. So we started well. At the beginning, everything was in protocol in terms of the closing agreements and everything.”
But according to Borja, he soon began facing obstacles at the Lands Department while processing land documents on behalf of his partner.
Voice of: Ricardo Borja
“For example, let’s say we’re going to go and transfer a property. That property doesn’t even register. You know, that property doesn’t even exist. And then those, there were some discrepancies in the schedules or actually where was the actual title for that? So they were like, no, I already told my guy, I’m just talking to this person. This person will pick up the transfers and they will take care of it.”
The testimonial goes on to say that the business relationship between Borja and the agent was formed in 2019. As he mentioned, everything appeared to be above board at first.
Voice of: Ricardo Borja
“But then it went on to creating; I knew that they were creating different things. I knew that they were creating passports. I never did any passports. I never created any titles. It all started through, it all started through doing grants of administration of permits, right and I could at least count thirteen of them, I think, or ten of them, you know.”
Borja then detailed how the fraudulent land scheme worked and what he was tasked to do.
Ricardo Borja
Voice of: Ricardo Borja
“I was trained in this entire process that, I’ll just start with exactly what I remember off the lines. Some of them, we very well knew that they were not right. And, we had to prepare reports, land title search reports. And some of them, even we were asked by one of the employees who was selling a lot and it was like Ricardo you cannot put that on the thing and I was like I know I can’t put that. I was like don’t worry I’ll figure it out like actually because I already knew what the trick was you know. So it was to prepare a, so it was almost like prepare something that had to do, it was actually giving a false report.”
Borja further testified saying that there were a number of individuals in the Lands Department who were in on the scheme.
Voice of Ricardo Borja
“used to get twenty-five hundred dollars a month salary from us right? And she used to work inside lands. So that’s how we would get copies of inside document or system pictures, you know? And there were times that there were things that had to be paid in there. So, as far as I can tell, they had a proper scheme whereby they paid off. I know at once, well, like we have an instruction that they, they gave her seven thousand, five hundred dollars and that’s what they gave her for every probate like that so that they can. Again, I, while I was much in depth, I wasn’t in depth, because I knew this was a wrong probate, but how did they cut it? The cut was fine.”
Borja explains that he has two daughters and does not want to be involved in any criminal proceedings. He contended that he acquired his assets before all of this occurred. He was reportedly scheduled to meet with attorneys, the real estate firm his partner worked for and GOB Special Crimes Unit on August twenty-second.
Voice of Ricardo Borja
“If shit hit the fans, I’m gonna let it off. Because I’m not gonna be the same idiot, where I’m just gonna be taken a full of, I’m just gonna sink myself. I think it hasn’t hit the fan. I think it hits the fan when it’s all there. But I’m not sure how exactly it’s all there. But I’ll tell you this. You look at my assets; I don’t have a lot of assets.”
And when we spoke with Jacqueline Hernandez, a family friend of Borja, she said he never told them about what he was facing.
Jacqueline Hernandez
Jacqueline Hernandez, Family Friend of Murder Victim
“He was very open with me and with his family. We know he was someone who always spoke about whatever he was going, whether a dream, a new endeavor, if it was something troubling him, he came to us and we didn’t know of something that would lead to this.”
Reporting for News Five, I am Paul Lopez.
