A flashback at mayor’s criminally charged week
What started as a threat by the Prime Minister in July of arrests for financial improprieties at City Hall, culminated this Thursday with the historic arraignment of the city’s mayor for two criminal offences. It’s the first time in modern history that any sitting politician has been charged by her own, and in this case a woman considered the nemesis of the prime minister. We look back at how this major political gamble unraveled.
Phillip Henry, Traffic Officer, Belize City Council (September 28, 2009)
“Since they bring Mr. Tillett over there, he started plots against the mayor. As you know, they tried it before against the mayor to get the mayor out but because Father is there and Father have a strong voice, Mr. Tillett came to me after about a month in this investigation cause I been there after January. And he started to tell me that Father I need you to go down to the police station to give a station. I said why? Why should I go down to the police station to give a statement? They wanted me to go and give a statement against the mayor of Belize, which I don’t know anything about the mayor. I don’t know how I can be involved in under-depositing. I am a Traffic Officer.”
“Let me tell you this. I don’t want to say it but I’m going to say it. The prime minister, I have love for you but you have sent the wrong man to City Hall who are telling you a hundred thousand lies.
Hubert Elrington, Attorney for Mayor Zenaida Moya Flowers (September 29, 2009)
“It is an attempt to use the criminal law to flag the mayor because the mayor was able to say I am the mayor, I run the City Council. You don’t run the City Council. So because of that, because she had the—you know I was going to say something but I better not say it. But she had that fortitude to say I run Belize City. Many of the regulations have to be put aside in order to enable the City Council to survive from day to day without going bankrupt. That is not the fault of the mayor, the mayor did not put the Belize City Council in that position and every honest person in Belize knows that.”
Marion Ali
“But the allegation is that the mayor uttered false documents and misappropriated funds.”
Hubert Elrington
“They don’t know the meaning of uttering. They do not know the meaning of uttering and I will prove it to them in court, that is correct.”
Marion Ali
“So your motion that you filed today was saying what?”
Hubert Elrington
“They are violating the democratic nature of the City Council. The City Council was elected. How are you going to put Patrick Tillett in to run City Council? Nobody elected him. Where does he come from? Did he subject himself to the people of Belize? Did the people of Belize chose him? How does he come to have authority over the City Council funds and the City Council property? Who elected him? Who gave Mr. Barrow constitutional authority to meddle in the affairs of the City Council? He has his business in Belmopan.”
Marion Ali, Reporting (October 01, 2009)
The Mayor was transported to the Queen Street Police Station by her lead defense attorney, Michael Peyrefitte, shortly after ten this morning. She was accompanied by the City Administrator, Dr. Kiran Vanjani and the City’s Administrative Assistant, Kiran Bhudrani. Shortly after, the fourth person to be charged, Dwain Davis, arrived.
After Chief Magistrate Margaret McKenzie read her twenty-two counts of Uttering a False Document for fuel receipts of seventy dollars each and adjourned the matter, Mayor Moya Flowers emerged from the courtroom in battle form.
Zenaida Moya Flowers, Belize City Mayor
“Everybody knows that I do not have a cozy relationship with the Prime Minister, with the leader of the party. They know that fully well. This is not something new man. This is something that we all know from the convention. Zenaida is not somebody that is a puppet. We all that know I am not a puppet. Everybody know that Zenaida dah noh wah puppet. And from the convention day they wanted to ensure that I was not the mayoral candidate for that party. But the people had their say and the people had their way and I have been elected and I will ensure that I continue serving the people of Belize City. I feel it that somebody doesn’t have balls when they are going to come after me when I’m on my bed delivering a child.”
Michael Peyrefitte, Lead Defense Attorney, Mayor Moya Flowers
“The charge sheets that I have been given in my hands speak nothing to two hundred and seventy-five thousand dollars. What I have in front of me is a charge that does not exist in law. And the next thing is that I have on another charge of the particulars of the charge which also have restrictions which do not exist in law.”
Zenaida Moya Flowers
“Nothing has changed. If the leader—that is one man. He may have some of his minions who will try to discredit me and may not want me to be a part of the party. I don’t see that coming from the rank and file. His minions and him can have whatever their opinion.”
Mayor Moya was offered bail of fifteen thousand dollars which she met and her case was adjourned until November fifth. Reporting for News Five, Marion Ali.
