Email

Print

Jules Vasquez
"You sent out statement yesterday denying any involvement but both the victim and the aunt have put you at the scene. Were you at the scene physically at any point?"

Hon. Joseph Mahmud, PUP Cayo North Representative
"That is clearly stated in the press release that at no point in time I was in or near the vehicle during the time of the incident. I was not involved."

Reporter
"The vehicle belongs to you?"

Hon. Joseph Mahmud, PUP Cayo North Representative
"The vehicle belongs to me yes."

Reporter
"Your press release acknowledges the incident but it does not express any regret for the injuries that the young man may have received whatever the circumstances."

Hon. Joseph Mahmud, PUP Cayo North Representative
"The real issue is and we are concern and the real concern here should be health and the welfare for the boy. But at no point was I ever involve or in the incident Jules."

Jules Vasquez
"Sir, but both the aunt and the young man say you were there. Someone is dealing in untruth here, I am not saying you are but either you are or they are, someone is."

Hon. Joseph Mahmud, PUP Cayo North Representative
"Exactly Jules and this is politically motivated and the real culprits here should be Rene Montero and Alberto August; one of them is a minister and one of them is vying for the Chairmanship of the UDP party right now."

Jules Vasquez
"Are you saying that they have orchestrated these events to implicate you?"

Hon. Joseph Mahmud, PUP Cayo North Representative
"Exactly, not that the incident did not occur but it is politically motivated Jules. But the press release and I gave a police report and its stated quite clearly there and it's in an investigation."

Reporter
"Did you or the driver of the vehicle question the young man about being there on behalf of Mr. Montero or any UDP personnel?"

Hon. Joseph Mahmud, PUP Cayo North Representative
"At no point in time, but we already made a police report and I guess I have nothing else to say Jules."

Jules Vasquez
"But the aunt swears that in her police report she names you, she implicated you. Are you concern about this?"

Hon. Joseph Mahmud, PUP Cayo North Representative
"It's under investigation and I would want to comment farther on it. Thanks Jules."

Jules Vasquez
"He said that you have been involved in manipulating the words of his accusers and making it so that these people accuse him directly and falsely. Are you so guilty sir?"

Alberto August
"All I was doing was just following up the information that was there. In fact on your newscast last night you will see the aunt of the victim saying that she was there present and she places Mahmud on the spot there. I was reading Mahmud's press release and he was saying that he was not on the spot. first of all he acknowledge that the vehicle belongs to him then secondly he was saying that he was not on the scene and here you have the aunt who assisted in taking that child from under his vehicle telling all your viewers that Mahmud was on the scene. Either the aunt or the Mahmud is lying. How do you settle a situation like that? I am saying you take it to the court and let the court decide. Mahmud will be given his natural justice where he will face his accuser and then the court will decide. One part is saying that he was there and Mahmud is saying he was not there and let the court decide."

Reporter
"Why would Mr. Mahmud implicate you in saying that you are the person who is responsible?"

Alberto August
"I did not create that situation. That was a situation that allegedly that Mahmud is creating. All we were we doing was following up the situation that was coming to us."

Jules Vasquez
"Yes but you are also a well-known political operator - A UDP. The implication is that you paid these people to make a false accusation against Mahmud. That is the implication."

Alberto August
"Who said anything about me paying those people?"

Jules Vasquez
"That is the clear implication sir."

Alberto August
"Probably your reporters may have seen that I took some financial assistance to the child. these people are poor people and here you have this child who was under a vehicle. Obviously there may have been some kind of damage to that child. All I did as an ordinary citizen is to go out there and provide some financial assistance so that the child could get some x-ray done. I have not used that to get the child to say anything about Mahmud. The allegations against Mahmud happened even before I appeared there. All I did was went out there as a concern citizen for the welfare of that child to seek medical attention."

Jules Vasquez
"Did you at any point lead to make a false accusation against Mahmud?"

Alberto August
"Why should I do something like that? That is one of the most ridiculous things I have even heard."

Jules Vasquez
"That is what he is implying. He is saying that you and Montero were involved in doing this."

Alberto August
"Let me repeat again for the last time; nothing can be farther from the truth. Mahmud got himself in that situation, now he finds himself in a bind - he is like a man grabbing at straws."

And while there is a swirl of allegations and counter-allegations, tonight there is no case to answer. This evening, Augustina Molina, Valdez's aunt who was the first responder to the accident, informed us that Michael Valdez has told Police that he wants no further court action.

Molina told us that Valdez confided in her saying that his mother and father convinced him that it was better to just leave the matter alone and forget it ever happened.

Molina added that she and her other family members are very angry with the decision because the young man was nearly killed by that vehicle which ran him over.

But, their disappointment aside, there is no case to answer because there is no complainant, there is no case - and all that remains is this bizarre and disturbing images of a politician's truck with two feet jutting out from under it.