“It’s political mischief”: old/new PUP guard squabble over assets

On Wednesday night’s news we reported that the former Prime Minister, Said Musa wrote to his former Deputy Prime Minister, and new leader of the Opposition, John Briceño, demanding final payment of half a million dollars for the party assets owned by the old guard – those include Positive Vibes Radio and the Belize Times newspaper. The issue of the acquisition of the party assets by Briceño became a thorny issue when leadership of the P.U.P. changed to Briceño. Well today, Musa’s law partner Senior Counsel Edwin Flowers, says that the leaked copies of the letter from Flowers to Briceño amounts to political mischief.

Voice of Edwin Flowers, Attorney for Said Musa
“Any attempt to look for political drama is misplaced. Whoever leaked this letter must be looking to make political mischief out of a straightforward business arrangement. So there is really nothing to it, it’s just that the deadline has passed and we sent this letter reminding Mr. Briceño that the deadline had passed.”

“Mr. Briceño voluntarily entered into an agreement with my client in May of last year and the agreement should have been completed by December of last year. The letter which I sent to Mr. Briceño was a standard legal response to a missed deadline. Mr. Briceño has not responded to my letter. Mr. Briceño and Mr. Musa met and had discussions but I have had no response to my letter.”

Marion Ali
“And if you don’t get a response you will proceed…”

Voice of Edwin Flowers
“That will depend on the instructions that my clients will give me. But I don’t know how this was leaked as there being some sort of problem because there’s none.”

The assets were value at eight hundred and fifty thousand dollars and the final settlement of five hundred thousand dollars had not been paid up in the deadline agreed to between the two parties. As for John Briceño, he is trying to find ways to settle the issue and he hopes that that will come about within the next two weeks.