The government is also claiming that there is no formal enforcement order from the Court of Appeal, giving Dean Boyce and his team the go ahead to reclaim their position in the company. Smith says, however, that the order is not necessary since the ruling was declaratory. He predicted this morning that PM Barrow is […]
Dean Boyce continues to operate his parallel Telemedia office, issuing correspondences as Executive Chairman of the company. Today he reacted to a statement made on Monday by Prime Minister Dean Barrow, to the effect that GOB will indemnify Telemedia employees and any parties that do business with the utility company at the instruction of the […]
The Fire Department headed to the Northern Highway around five thirty this morning after they received frantic calls from various persons. Raul’s Rose Garden, the famous brothel, was up in flames. All that was left by the time the flames consumed the interior of the concrete structure, was debris. And if you are wondering, the […]
Turning to the other company that has been nationalized, that’s B.E.L. Chair of B.E.L., Rodwell Williams said on Monday that the financial package that the former Belize Electricity Limited Board executives were paid is estimated at two point seven million dollars. The Prime Minister has said that he believes that Lynn Young, the former C.E.O. […]
The package was paid to five senior managers as well as two Canadian engineers. The argument from the government controlled company is that Young’s decision to terminate the services of the executives was reckless and that the firings allowed for them to collect more monies than they would have had they resigned on their own […]
When asked whether B.E.L. will consider legal action against the Government of Belize in light of the precedent that was set in the Telemedia nationalization, Young said that the legislation which was passed to seize B.T.L. from the Ashcroft Group in 2009 was initially created to wrest B.E.L. from private ownership. While Young is uncertain […]
When we left you last Friday, three judges of the Court of Appeal; Brian Alleyne, Dennis Morrison and Boyd Carey had unanimously handed down a ruling which declared that the government’s acquisition of Belize Telemedia was unconstitutional. The full text of the one hundred and forty-nine page ruling was not read in court; but Justice […]
That was essentially the ruling. Prime Minister Dean Barrow conceded on the airwaves that the decision must be honored. The Prime Minister gave a telephone interview to Channel Seven in which he admitted defeat, and that the best thing to do was allow them to it and he didn’t want to take the company back […]
As soon as the judgment was delivered, Dean Boyce headed over to the Telemedia headquarters on Saint Thomas Street and convened the Telemedia board of directors and met with employee representatives. Accompanying Boyce was one of his attorney’s, Godfrey Smith. But later in the dead of the night, Karen Bevans entered the building while Boyce […]
So why is the government keeping Dean Boyce out of Telemedia after conceding to defeat to Friday evening? It’s all based on a technicality. Lengthy judgments, such the one hundred and forty-nine page decision, are usually accompanied by an additional document, stating clearly the winner and loser in the case. That order is prepared by […]
Thrust in the middle of the crisis are the Telemedia employees. Earlier today, attorney Godfrey Smith, spoke on charges on whether or not the new board would fire over one hundred and fifty Telemedia employees. Smith said emphatically that the new board has no such intention and that employees need not worry nor the persons […]
Today we interviewed the Prime Minister on the ongoing crisis. In respect of the shares, he confirmed that the funds are stored in a separate account in the Central Bank. If anyone would want their funds returned, they would get so with interest. But he maintains that despite that there are now two Telemedia boards […]
And while the law enforcement bodies are guarding the Telemedia office and keeping Dean Boyce out, attorneys say there’s nothing lawful about what GOB is doing. According to Attorney Eamon Courtenay, the members of the government appointed board are trespassing at the Telemedia office and can face consequences for illegal occupation. Eamon Courtenay, Attorney “The […]
And as you have heard in this newscast, Dean Boyce has set up an office as executive chairman of Management Committee of Telemedia. Late this afternoon, on behalf the Board of Directors, Boyce announced the appointment of Martha Molina as C.E.O. of the company. Martha and her husband Dean Molina, were both fired from Telemedia. […]
The situation remains fluid. This afternoon we got an update from the Prime Minister. He admitted to News Five that he can’t disregard the ruling of the Appeals Court but that doesn’t mean that the government will hand over the company. In his view, handing over the company would be chaotic. So enforcement to him […]
Today makes one week since the government nationalized Belize Electricity Limited. The company’s C.E.O. is Jeffrey Locke, and a new board has been installed, but the chairman remains Rodwell Williams, the Prime Minister’s law partner of Barrow and Williams. When we caught up with Williams at the F.F.B. case, he also spoke on the issue […]
The Court of Appeal today delivered a massive blow to the government in the 2009 acquisition of Belize Telemedia. The ruling reverses an order made by the government to compulsorily acquire the telephone company from the Ashcroft Group. It was handed down at four this afternoon. The drama mounted because there was first a notice […]
So what’s next? Well, the Prime Minister has already said that he will appeal that decision. But immediately after the court ruling, Dean Boyce and attorney Godfrey Smith headed to Telemedia’s main office on Saint Thomas Street. The first board meeting was convened with members of the previous board including attorney Phillip Zuniga, Edilberto Tesecum […]
This morning there was a potential threat of strike at Port of Belize. The stevedores, under the stewardship of the Christian Workers Union, have been at an impasse with the management of the port over a wide range of issues; from work schedules to wages. The Port of Belize issued a release Thursday night, speaking […]
We normally see Magistrates trying cases and handing down decisions. Today we met them in a different environment. The Judiciary of Belize in conjunction with the Commonwealth Secretariat, the Commonwealth Magistrates’ and Judges’ Association are hosting a two day seminar for the magistracy. The objective of the seminar is to provide magistrates with the opportunity […]
Prime Minister Dean Barrow returned this afternoon from the International Conference to pledge support for the Central America Security Strategy in Guatemala City. While regional security was the headline focus, the continued flow and supply of electricity to Belize and a meeting with the Mexican President were the Prime Minister’s main motive for attending. The […]
Negotiations with Mexico’s CFE will now take place under the auspices of Sir Manuel Esquivel to solve the energy crisis. But the local clash with the government and the Belize Chamber of Commerce continues to boil over. On Tuesday, the Chamber spoke out against the B.E.L. expropriation and on Wednesday, the government sounded off with […]
Earlier in the newscast, the Prime Minister criticized the Chamber of Commerce for their position that is contrary to the government’s, on Monday’s hasty expropriation of the Belize Electricity Limited. The debate continues on the airwaves and Senator Godwin Hulse, who represents BCCI in the National Assembly, took the couch on our morning show today. […]
Hulse also commented on statements made to the effect that it was necessary to take back B.E.L. from foreigners. The senator says he finds it sad that the conversation went from ensuring reliable power to racist remarks. Senator Godwin Hulse, Representative, B.C.C.I. “I don’t think anybody in this country would dispute the fact or argue […]
The Chamber’s Vice President of Services, Israel Marin, was also on this morning’s Open Your Eyes. He responded to government’s statement which questioned the loyalty of Chamber Executives and its President, Kay Menzies. That statement said that “the Chamber has never made official disclosure of the fact that its president was a Board Member of […]
