COLA to file suit against Penner

Gilroy Usher Jr.

This Friday, Chief Justice Kenneth Benjamin will hear an application by the People’s United Party’s Leader Francis Fonseca on why Elvin Penner should be investigated by the Commissioner of Police for his role in the passport issued to Won Hong Kim. That aside, COLA today brought its own pressure to bear. The firebrand organization held a press conference to announce that on Friday it will be filing suit against Penner in Belmopan. The grassroots movement says it has no money, and no attorney yet, but it is determined to do whatever is necessary to force criminal scrutiny of the former Minister of State.  COLA leaders say that their organization may be small, but their will is a mighty thing.

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Gilroy Usher Jr., Vice President, COLA

“The sale of Belizean passport is a crime. Some have out rightly stated nothing criminal was done by Penner. At COLA, we assert that Mister Penner committed a crime against the integrity of this nation. Now where there exist reluctance on the part of the state to take adequate action, we the members of COLA through consultation with the people, decided and will initiate a private prosecution against Elvin Penner.”

Nedal MacLaren

Nedal MacLaren, COLA

“The Prime Minister was the first person that came out and said there will be no inquiry; that basically it is dead and finished after a couple days. And we understand Mister P.M. because in the Constitution there is a thing called collective responsible; where if one guilty, all guilty. And this is what the P.M. has been hiding behind when it comes to these ministers that he has that have been behaving inappropriately in his cabinet.”

Rufus X

Rufus X, COLA

“What are the Belizean people doing to preserve a little piece of the jewel for their children? We noh have no will to stand up for our right? This shouldn’t get this way. Penner should be forced to be arrested by the authority and taken to court long ago man. Look at the little kids in the street; we have to stop this garbage. Look at what the police can do to them. The police do to them, do to them, do to them until they end up doing to themselves. The other day, the kids of George Street were rewarded for wrongdoing. You mean the police don’t know where the wrongdoing is taking place so that they can go and correct it. Where were there when Penner was contemplating crime? This man blatantly spat on the Belize people. We have to stop taking this abuse from people man. He should face jail time.”

Geovanni Brackett

Geovanni Brackett, President, COLA

“Some people who are listening out here right now on Krem may hear me not shouting or making a rally because I want to send a sound message to the government that this issue will not rest until justice is served. We will fight, at COLA, and we will exhaust all and every single avenue until we seek justice. And so we are calling out today on any attorney—whether U.D.P. or P.U.P.; whether you just got into the Bar or you were there for fifty years—to assist us in going forward with this private prosecution.”

COLA President Geovanni Brackett says they carried out their own investigation and have compiled a file of evidence against Penner which will be used to prosecute Penner. As you heard, the organization is appealing for legal assistance in the matter.