Anthony Michael speaks on cheques he signed for Moya
Late last week the salvo came from Deputy Mayor Anthony Michael and nine Councillors who had opposed Moya and who called for intervention from the Ministry of Local Government. Moya’s, attorney, Michael Peyrefitte, came back fighting on Friday with copies of two signed cheques paid in salaries to the mayor which bore Michael’s signature. So why did he sign the cheques then accuse the Mayor of using unauthorized funds? Michael explained at the convention.
Anthony Michael, Belize City Deputy Mayor
“It is very simple, Marion. When you look at the cheque, say the one that was signed by myself, according to her, she was out of the country. I have not went back to verify that record. Nevertheless, my signature is on it. There’s no denial. The total was for about thirteen thousand or something. That cheque was made out to FirstCaribbean Bank. When you look at the attachment sheets, the attachment sheet had for all the staff payroll, hers included. It highlighted hers to show fifteen hundred dollars. You remember the minutes that we referred to of March 2006 where the council had approved collectively, not by one individual, that the mayor’s salary would be six thousand dollars a month. So when I signed that cheque and you look at where it is highlighted of fifteen hundred, naturally the deputy mayor would sign. If I did not sign that cheque the staff and the payroll—those staff would have never cashed the cheque until the mayor came back into office probably a week or two depending on the length of time that she was out of the country. So if had signed that cheque with the attachment showing six thousand, five hundred or seven thousand, say nine thousand dollars, then I could have been questioned as the deputy mayor saying you knew that the council approved six thousand dollars and you signed a cheque that you know exceeded the amount of the mayor. Fifteen hundred did not exceed the amount for the mayor of six thousand dollars so we signed that and that is fine. That is nothing wrong with that because it did not exceed. It’s just a payroll, that’s no way you could be held accountable for something like that.”
Marion Ali
“But as her attorney pointed out, that’s the three thousand dollars that is in question by you and the other councillors. The six thousand dollars is a separate cheque which nobody brought into question.”
Anthony Michael
“Well, that is what HE is saying. If it was two thousand dollars, hey would have said si ih sign something fi two thousand dollars depending on the amount because she indicated there’s different loans which her cheques go to. I will not question that. Once I know that it did not exceed the six thousand approved by the council, I signed it and the cheque was for FirstCaribbean. It could include the payroll for all the other staff.”
Marion Ali
“If they do happen to be able to prove that you signed something that exceeded six thousand dollars, how would you respond to that?”
Anthony Michael
“I did not sign anything for six thousand dollars, Marion, so that question is hypothetical.”
Michael has been magnanimous calling for unity in the fractured council but the matter of the unauthorized spending of City Council’s funds is still on the table. We turned for answers to the C.E.O. of the Ministry of Labour, but she was unavailable for response.
