Archie cries foul after CitCo takes his liquor

He’s one of Belize’s best known businessmen and a regular contributor to people and causes in need. But these are not good times for Archie Lee and today he’s lashing out. News Five’s Janelle Chanona has the story.

Alice Lee, Daughter, Archie Lee
“Waste of time. This is waste of time.”

Dickie Bradley, Attorney
“This is not the way to treat a businessman, this is not the climate to create to treat a businessman.”

Janelle Chanona, Reporting>
Today the Lee family and their attorney were seeing red as this afternoon Special Constables of the Belize City Council confiscated an estimated ten thousand dollars in liquor from Lee’s Shopping City and Archie’s Restaurant on Central American Boulevard. According to Supervisor Valerio Yama, the alcohol was seized when Lee couldn’t prove he was legally selling liquor.

Valerio Yama, Special Constable Supervisor
“Asked for liquor license, it cannot be showed. We asked for a trade license it cannot be showed, that means to say Archie is operating without a liquor license, operating without a trade license, as clear as that.”

But according to Archie Lee, who is a member of the Belize District Liquor Licensing Board, he was one of many businesses pre-approved by the board. Lee says he’s being victimized.

Archie Lee, Proprietor, Shopping City/Archie’s
“I don’t mind to tell you, I have some friends in the previous government right. But since U.D.P. take over the City Council office, for the first fifteen months, I don’t mind to tell you, I’m the number one criminal in this city. If I tell how many amount of summons I receive, you maybe get a surprise. I get forty-one summons from City Council.”

Dickie Bradley
“Dozens of allegations that he is selling alcohol without having a permit, that he is selling alcohol outside of the required hours. It’s one thing over and over. I have a file literally this thick of him being summoned, of him being summoned, of him being summoned.”

Janelle Chanona
“Mr. Archie is saying he has gotten forty-one summonses for different accusations.”

Valerio Yama
“I have no comments on that.”

Janelle Chanona
“He’s saying he feels like he’s being targeted.”

Valerio Yama
”He can say anything. I have no comments about that.”

Lee has never been convicted on any of the charges. And says this time will be no different. According to his daughter Alice Lee, today’s operation was nothing more than an administrative snafu.

Alice Lee
“They lost my application that’s why I couldn’t get my license in time. I don’t know because I sent it in from 2007, September the tenth. I have—this is my receipt that I just paid for and I have a copy of the application form in the car right now with the date. But they, I don’t know, lost my application some how and they di push me round and round. They have to go through three different person before they tell me they lost my application.”

As Lee worked the phones to clear his name again, he contacted Troy Smith of the Trade License Board, only to find out that the board was in fact meeting this afternoon to approve licenses.

Valerio Yama
“What we do, I checked at the office to check if they had a license and I know they don’t have. That’s the reason why we came to do our operation.”

Janelle Chanona
“But isn’t it frustrating to then find out that the license board just di meet?”

Valerio Yama
“No, not really because I don’t know if they had it scheduled or what. We’re just doing our job. We come here, you have a trade license, show your certificate, if you don’t show your certificate we warrant you for a summons. If later we find out you have a certificate we disregard it.”

The Lee’s eventually produced receipts for the liquor licenses but they were dated today. So after carefully counting the bottles, the alcohol was loaded up in separate vehicles and will be stored at the Commercial Centre pending the outcome of the court case. The maximum penalty for having alcohol on an unauthorized premise is a fine. That matter will be dealt in the Municipal Court but an assault charge against Lee will be heard in Magistrate’s court. According to Special Constable Andy Hamilton, Lee tried to stop him from doing his job.

Andy Hamilton, Special Constable
“I told the police that we will proceed to confiscate the liquor but as I was going behind the counter where some of the liquor was, Mr. Archie Lee grabbed me by my shirt, this same shirt yah, I had it buttoned up and grabbed me by my shirt and just haul it and in that sense, he tried to obstruct me from entering behind the counter. So the police grabbed him and I warned him and told him he will get a summons for the obstruction.”

Archie Lee, Proprietor, Archie’s
“I put the shoulder like that, I say you can’t go in. I push them, just like that. You understand what I mean? Assault, what kind of assault? If this is assault, then I assault you but I repeat to say which of the one people in fifteen month receive forty-one summonses? No way. I think I break the Belize record.”

Lee did admitting breaking several bottles of Guinness in frustration during the raid but maintains his innocence for the alleged obstruction. He was eventually charged for common assault against Hamilton. Reporting for News Five, I am Janelle Chanona.