And while we can foresee that Fonseca will surely be the subject of many political ads using words from the judgment, another ranking politician who's sure to be caricatured in many ads is UDP Deputy Leader Gaspar Vega.
The latest issue he's been at the center of is the Freshpond Fuss, where his driver went head to head with the prime minister's political officer in Queen's Square, his sister, Denise "Sister B" Barrow.
As we've reported, the abandoned homes in the community had been set aside as properties earmarked for low income first time homeowners. "Sister B" had set on one for a constituent only to find that the brother of Vega's driver, Marlon Miranda had already gotten it.
That set off a firestorm of discontent and recriminations, culminating in the CEO from the Ministry of Housing being escorted out of the Lands Department by an armed security guard.
Because his political officer was involved, the Prime Minister looked into it himself. Today, he told us what he'd found out and why he believes that the Deputy Prime Minister did nothing wrong:
Hon. Dean Barrow - Prime Minister of Belize
"My sister was trying to get, certainly, one property up there for a deserving constituent. It turns out that indeed, that property was given to the brother of the driver of the Deputy Prime Minister. I have absolutely no difficulty with that. Clearly, the feeling is that it was put in the name of the brother, but it is really for the driver. As far as I am concerned, the Deputy Prime Minister's Driver is not by any means a rich man, deserving a property. There is, I believe, or may have been, a partial structure on the property, I don't know if it is a complete house, but those properties are not in the best of conditions, as we all know. I have not a problem with that. I would have liked if somebody from Queen Square would have gotten it, but to me, the Deputy Prime Minister's Driver is as deserving as anybody else. I have also heard of - I don't know how many properties we are talking about all together - but I've heard of other people who U.D.P. party supporters are getting. I've heard the name of A.K. Kelly. As far as I know, A.K. is a struggling fellow and completely deserving. So I really don't know that the Deputy Prime Minister did anything wrong at all. In fact I am prepared to say that in my view he did nothing wrong."
Mike Rudon - Channel 5 News
"The last time we asked you this question about your Deputy Prime Minister, you alluded to a targeted attack on him. I'd like to ask the same, in terms of the rosewood, because the reality is that rosewood selling for $15,000 per container, the brother of the Deputy Prime Minister is largest exporter. So he would be the one who basically benefits the most from getting container of rosewood for $15,000. In terms of that, in terms of the houses in Fresh Pond, do you still maintain, complete confidence in the Deputy Prime Minister?"
Hon. Dean Barrow
"Well, I've said to you, with the house is in Fresh Pond, I don't see that there is an issue. And in terms of rosewood, I do believe that there is a company that is perhaps the largest exporter of rosewood, all of which is put to an end now. The monies received from the sale of the confiscated rosewood are transferred to the Ministry of Forestry, so that a proper inventory can be done, and there will be no question of any more harvesting of rosewood, except on a sustainable basis. I am prepared to say that it is my understanding that the Deputy Prime Minister's brother indeed is one of the largest or was one of the largest exporters of rosewood. But again, how will the Deputy Prime Minister be blamed if in fact something went wrong in terms of the value put on a container of rosewood for the purpose of implementing the agreement that cabinet approved."
We'll have more on that Rosewood discussion with the Prime Minister in which we asked him if he thinks that $15,000 per container of Rosewood was a fair deal to the government and the public purse.
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