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Briceno Recording Dominates Budget Day In House: Barrow Calls Out Musa
posted (March 13, 2015)
Today was Budget Day at the House of Representatives in Belmopan. It's the biggest day for parliamentary business on the House Calendar - because the revenue and appropriations bill is tabled - that's what makes government run.

But, it's not the headline anywhere tonight and that's because the secret recording of former PUP Deputy Prime Minister John Briceno was the most important thing discussed at today's house meeting. As we told you last night, it just had to come up because it's too ripe a political opportunity for the UDP to miss out on.

But, the Prime Minister who prepared remarks on it - said it wasn't about politics - but about the duty of the Leader of the Opposition. From there, things took on a life of their own. Here's how it all went down:

Hon. Dean Barrow, Prime Minister
"A confession, as to the massive corruption and unmatched feavery of the Musa/Fonseca administration - 1998-2007. The current leader of the opposition has told the media and the country to back-off. The matter, he says, is private PUP business."

"Mr. Speaker, how in God's name can the robbery of millions and millions from the public purse be private PUP business? Those tens of millions were for the people. During their ten years, they in deed acted as though the nation's business and the nation's money were exclusively the PUP's business and the PUP's money. And as though, carving up and parceling out the country's wealth was indeed an internal party matter. I therefore called on the leader of the opposition, to reverse course to stop the stonewalling, to halt the cover-up. He must addressed immediately, fully and publicly, the comprehensive wholesale indictment of the PUP by its immediate past."

"Belizeans demand answers to the specifics of all the charges. The disclosures, after all are made by one who was there at the top occupying a vantage point, from which he saw, couldn't missed and has now documented every last piece of the PUP down heap, its mountain of stench and corruption. The member for Orange Walk Central, has not retracted one a iota and he remains, a key executive of the party, number three in the hierarchy and cannot be sanctioned because he is telling the truth. So, Mr. current opposition leader, do not further dirty your office. Do not further sully your person. Either discharged those obligations and do your duty or stand condemned forever, before the bar of Belizean history."

Rt. Hon. Said Musa, Fort George
"The Prime Minister of all people should know, that the old tired allegations of wrong doing on my part are false, phony and the reason why he should know is because he was the one who instigated the malicious prosecution against me and Mr. Ralph Fonseca and what became of those charges, those phony charges of theft and all that, they were dismissed even before trial, without a trail. This is old hot stuff, going back almost 10 years, because he is trying to divert attention from the ongoing and pervasive corruption, that is taking place in his administration."

Hon. Dean Barrow, Prime Minister
"This man stands up now Mr. Speaker and actually tries to put on a garb of righteousness. First of all, the charges that were brought against him were particular and specific, having to do with the 20 million dollars in monies, sent by Venezuela to be spent on housing for the Belizean people, which he diverted. He say he didn't steal it - that's a technical argument and he is entitled to the benefit to the judgement of the court. Let's grant you, if you want to be charitable, that you been cleared certainly with the charge of theft with respect to the Venezuela 20 million - no, that's not what the member for Orange Walk Central is talking about on the tape. He is specific about all that you did, in terms of DFC money. In term of Galleria Maya, In terms of the Yen swap, in terms of SSB and Mr. Speaker, you see, I don't know why you didn't sit down and keep your mouth shut. When I spoke, I never called your name, except to talk about the Musa/Fonseca administration. I never levied any accusations about you. I talked about what the member for Orange Walk Central has said on the tape. But because you got up now and you you've, as I said, you've got the faciness and to intervene. Let me say what is in that tape, that the news media can't play because of libel. On that tape, you are accused of personally, having stolen tens of millions and it said that you should be in jail and that if you were in any other country, you would be in jail. It's not me that said so, it is the man sitting beside you, the confessor on the tape. He was there. He observed it and for telling you, he is the one who says that in terms of all that you did, if it were any other country, you would be in jail."

Rt. Hon. Said Musa, Fort George
"Mr. Speaker, this is a personal attack on me by the Prime Minister, knowing fully well."

Speaker of the House
"You know better than that. Senior member, respect the House. You made the representation, you responded and that's it. Have your seat."

Jules Vasquez
"What's your response to that?"

Rt. Hon. Said Musa, Fort George
"I am saying, tell him to say it outside here of the House."

Jules Vasquez
"Mr. Briceno, says it outside of the House."

Rt. Hon. Said Musa, Fort George
"Mr. Briceno, says it in a conversation with someone else who taped him. All I am saying is that is published outside, I would sue, because it is false and malicious."

Jules Vasquez
"Well then shouldn't you sue Mr. Briceno?"

Rt. Hon. Said Musa, Fort George
"Well, I won't answer that now. I want the Prime Minister to say it."

Jules Vasquez
"Do you stand by what you said in that recording which was made?"

Hon. John Briceno, OW Central
"Gentlemen, as I said from earlier on, that was a private discussion. It's a discussion that was never meant for public consumption and in that discussion, in many instances, that if when you are talking that you would have framed what you are saying differently, from what came across in that tape, but I am not going to discussed it. I think what is important is to talk about this budget. When you look at the numbers....."

Jules Vasquez
"You are changing subject on me. You have two weeks to debate that. You don't withdraw from what you've said."

Hon. John Briceno, OW Central
"Look at this. They projected a 37 million dollars primary surplus. You know the primary surplus si what you use to pay you light bill and your water bill and you gas and salaries and everything. They had a 50 million deficit. That is telling you that the government didn't have money to pay its own light bill. It had to borrow money to pay its own light bill."

Jules Vasquez
"And that will be fully ventilated in two weeks sir. What is important right now is that you have accused....."

Hon. John Briceno, OW Central
"As I have said, I have a private discussion that was never meant to be made public."

Jules Vasquez
"What you said untrue?"

Hon. John Briceno, OW Central
"I am telling you I had a private discussion."

Jules Vasquez
"Mr. Espat has said it's untrue. They said you lie."

Hon. John Briceno, OW Central
"I am certain, that you have had discussion with your wife or with a friend, that you never wanted to made public, so I am finished with the tape. As I said, I am a PUP, I believe in the policies and the principles of the People's United Party and I want to do everything that I can to ensure that whenever, the next elections are called, whenever that times comes, that we have a government of the PUP. It is only when we have a PUP government that we have true development in this country."

Jules Vasquez
"Not according to what you've said. You've said, that was mass theft and criminality, the last time they had a PP government - that's what you've said - tens of millions."

Hon. John Briceno, OW Central
"Looked at what happened, do we increased, when you look at the amount of the economy - more than doubled during our time. They are growing this economy on the backs of our children and that is a fact and that is what is there for everybody to see."

Jules Vasquez
"Under the UDP, there was a debt default. They defaulted on their commercial debt. We are asking you about the tens of millions that you referred to."

Hon. John Briceno, OW Central
"We did not default. We sat with the bond holders and we decided to that we were going to re-negotiate with them."

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