Instead of charging company, Sgt. Harasses Melonie Coye
It was an emotional day in court in respect of the ongoing money laundering case against the Coye family. Michael Coye, his wife, Marleni Coye, their daughter, Melonie Coye and son, Jude Coye along with Melonie’s husband, James Gerou were charged with money laundering on January second. Though their business account was frozen, it turns out that the Financial Intelligence Unit did not levy charges against Money Exchange International Limited. So today, Melonie Coye and her attorney Arthur Saldivar went to court to hear the charges levied against the business. In a slip up, they were ordered to Magistrates’ Court during the lunch break. And instead of asking them to return in the afternoon, the sergeant attached to F.I.U., Bernard Reyes attempted to arrest Melonie even though the charges were not against her. Coye was visibly shaken up when we found her this afternoon and her attorney says that the harassment of his clients must end.
Arthur Saldivar, Attorney for Coye Family
“When we got back to the station Sergeant Reyes and one of officers working with the F.I.U. sought to basically detain my client. I explained to Sergeant Reyes that such detention would have been unnecessary considering that my client had been on bail and had already been charged in her personal capacity for the same offense and had not violated any of the conditions of bail. He was adamant, he sought to physically remove my client from the vehicle that I brought here there in. I explained to him that as an officer of the court, I would be given an undertaking and my client would appear before the magistrate at one o’clock. I must say that Mr. Arguelles from the FIU, who is also a trained attorney, was able to intervene and finally common sense and good judgment prevailed but not until after my client had been properly traumatized with the prospect of losing her liberty arbitrarily once more. I would not want to single out Mister Reyes, but in truth the staff at F.I.U. is very small. And he being the point man, so to speak, bears the brunt of the responsibility.”
Melonie Coye, Director, Money Exchange International Limited
“I think many of our rights have been violated. I believe that many of our rights have been violated all this time just that we have been very quiet about it.”
Jose Sanchez
“Is there any validity to these charges of money laundering?”
Melonie Coye
“No, there’s not. We are not money launderers. We have never been money launderers. Belize people, a lot of people know us. Not because I lived abroad for a very long time, means I’m a money launderer. It’s simply that people don’t know about me. We’re not political people, we’re not politically tied.”
Jose Sanchez
“Do you think it is a coincidence to the fact that your next court date and the master agent’s court date is actually on the same day?”
Melonie Coye
“Well I really didn’t follow up on that I mean about the dates. I know every time we appear in court it’s like they try to do something to frustrate us more. If its not harassing one of the workers, it’s trying to lock up everybody all over again. We had this incident with the messenger where they locked him up three times.”
Jose Sanchez
“Do you think they are coming after the Coye family and your husband Mr. Gerou because of the master agent who they have for six million dollars plus for money laundering, trying to pressure you somehow to think that you know something?”
Melonie Coye
“I don’t know I really at this point don’t know. I don’t know about that aspect. I do know that there is a person that could be involved to that extent that might be linking something to us but I am not sure. I really don’t know about that scenario with the six point five because it’s two separate entities, two separate companies. You know different people, different businesses; totally different so I really wouldn’t be able to answer that one. We’ve been treated very inhumane. They have violated many of our rights. In his example when he was locked up, they didn’t feed him or give him any water for two to three days. In my case I had sexual harassment by the police officers with recorders in the police station, which the media nor the public knows about that. So there’s been a lot of different things going on.”
Coye says that her father-in-law is dying from cancer and her husband has not been allowed to leave the country to visit him. This afternoon she appeared before Senior Magistrate, Dorothy Flowers in Court number two who read the charges to Money Gram International. The charge sheet stated that on December thirty-first, 2008, the company engaged directly or indirectly in a transaction involving one point five million dollars believed to be proceeds of a crime. Coye was then allowed to leave on her own free will as the charges were not against her, but on the business.
