Mayor of Belize City charged with twenty-four counts

It had been brewing for some time and today it became blatantly public, the open war between the duly elected City Mayor and the Prime Minister in what is the first internal political crisis to hit the government and the U.D.P. Mayor Zenaida Moya Flowers was hauled this morning before the courts and if you are wondering what happened next, in true Moya fashion, she was back at City Hall running things. PM Dean Barrow has not been heard from, he is recovering from dengue and a bad back. Back in July, the PM first announced that arrests were to be made at City Hall for financial irregularities. Today it happened, but it was more of a spectacle and a show with heavy police presence that did not bear out the allegations by Financial Controller Patrick Tillett, that two hundred and seventy-five thousand dollars are unaccounted for. Instead, the Mayor, dressed in black and white, not in her traditional red, along with three financial officers were charged with twenty-two counts of Uttering False Documents, in this case, seventy dollars for fuel, and two counts of violating of City Council regulations. Marion Ali has a full report in today’s unprecedented political developments.

Marion Ali, Reporting
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 and met his attorney, Dickie Bradley at the Crimes Investigations Branch. Across the street a mixed crowd gathered to see the Mayor being transported to the Magistrate’s Court by police. They escorted her through the back entrance while outside the Magistrate Court building a crowd larger than on Queen Street waited. Even the number of police officers assigned to guard the court’s front door was larger than usual.

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, Belize City Mayor
“This is clearly political. From the fact they have been trying to say in the media that monies are missing or unaccounted for and the charges are not. They have brought up procedural matters to say that okay this is what they’re gonna bring against us – procedural matters, administrative matters. Now if you’re gonna say that myself, as the elected official, the Mayor of Belize City, should be held accountable, I must know everything that is happening under my watch, does that mean then that when it comes to the matter of the Treasury, will the Minister of Finance be charged? Will he be charged? When it comes to the K.H.M.H. issue, will the Minister of Health be charged? When it comes to the border management, will the Minister responsible for border management, the Minister of Tourism be charged? And this list will go on. When it comes to lands with all these things, Works, all the Ministries; every single thing, will the Minister be charged then because they are elected officials just like myself.

The Mayor was also emphatic that she is innocent.

Zenaida Moya Flowers
“As the Mayor of Belize City, I have workers working under me and I expect that as administrators, as workers they do their work. I am not over anyone of them, telling them what to do. That is not my way of management. I let them work. I was a former public officer, I was a former head of department, I’ve never been over my workers watching them, but at the end of the day I expect them to do their work. Now to bring these foolishness and to say because I’m the elected official and my portfolio is finance, then I’m to be held responsible?”

But after all the allegations of over quarter million dollars unaccounted for, why is the Mayor only facing twenty-two counts for uttering false documents for seventy dollar fuel receipts?

Zenaida Moya Flowers
“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. That is how foolish it is. When I am delivering a child, I’m on my—they think I’m that weak that I would not have come up? Well you know what? I am a strong woman, everybody knows I am a strong woman and this will play out and they will see that I have done nothing wrong but be a strong woman who will not have anybody just dictate to her and have her like a little girl. I dah noh nobody lee gial.”

Mayor Moya Flowers also said she will remain a U.D.P.

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.”

And while she is facing the toughest days of her political career, the mayor is also nursing a son she delivered only twenty days ago.

Zenaida Moya Flowers
“Myself and my baby, we will make it through this. My family will make it through this with the grace of God, with the support of all my supporters, people who believe in me and I believe that justice will prevail and they will see that this is just trumped up, malicious charges; very malicious.”

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.