Viewers may remember Joseph Nunez, he's the Belize City Council employee who made the news in June 2014 after he was arrested and charged by the police after he was caught with a weapon that he had no licensed for. His story was of high interest because critics of the oppressive gun law regime say that he ought not to have been charged and sent to jail because he was acting as a good samaritan. He said that he took away the gun from his friend who was a licensed holder because he was having marital problems and he had been drinking. Nunez says that he asked his friend to hand over the weapon for fear that he might use it on his wife. Unfortunately, he was stopped by police with the weapon on his way home, and that's when he was arrested and charged, no questions asked.
Well he's been fighting his case, and on last week Friday, he told us how he managed to get himself acquitted of all charges a few weeks ago:
Joseph Nunez - Former Prosecutor, Belize City Council
"I was at my friend's house at 33rd Dougal Street socializing when I saw he and his wife got into an altercation, but prior to that, in the day he was at my house having some beers and he made mention that he and his wife were having some problems. So he ask me to accompany him to the house. Hence the reason I went over that side and while there, him and his wife got into an altercation. So I decided that just since I am your friend, hand over the firearm because I don't want you to use it on your wife."
Daniel Ortiz
"And that's when you drove off with it, that's when you ended up being picked up by police."
Joseph Nunez - Former Prosecutor, Belize City Council
"I took the firearm and I was on my way to Precinct 1 at Euphrates Avenue. I went down Curassow Street, into Cemetery Road, into Dolphin Street and I made a left into Allenby Street and then on towards Precinct 1 when I was stopped when the police say they were chasing me. To be honest, they weren't chasing me. When I look at the back of me and I saw light and I stop and then they ask me for my license. First thing I did was handover the firearm and explained to them the reason why I have the firearm. That I was at party and X, Y and Z happen and hence the reason why I ended up with the firearm. But they didn't buy my story. They decide to take me and locked me up at the station."
Daniel Ortiz
"Has that case been concluded?"
Joseph Nunez
"On the Monday after being locked up, I was release on bail for a driver's license and a helmet, because My Segura, the then police who was in charge of Belize City told them not to charge me. So I was thankful to him. But by Thursday morning I went to court, they came for me and I was sent to prison on June 27th. I came out July 18th after 21 days. But now I went to court on the 3rd August 2015 with my lawyer Mr. Leroy Banner and he successfully had the case dismissed against me, because the prosecution was unable to produce a witness. I went to court for over a year. That's one hurdle that I have already cross. So I need to deal with City Council now and after that I need to move on with my life."
Daniel Ortiz
"It seems you've been having some very bad luck."
Joseph Nunez
"When it rains, it pours. But I am a strong man."
As you heard at the end of that conversation with him, he discussed that he's been having bad luck. That's because about one or two weeks before being acquitted, he was fired from his job with the Belize City Council, because of an apparently fraudulent transaction. Nunez claims that the Belize City Council turned him into a scape goat:
Joseph Nunez - Former Prosecutor, Belize City Council
"It was based on a consent form signed by me and one of my fellow colleagues whereby they were saying that we did certain things without authorization, which is not true. That is a false statement. I refute that one hundred percent, because as long as the court coordinator or the court manager is not on the premises, automatically I as the court's prosecutor at the time had authorization to do whatever I need to do on behalf of the Belize City Council. What has happen is that I and this other gentleman did a consent form for a lady who never appeared at the municipal court before. Which is the norm for Belize City Council - that persons do matters for person outside the council - just that at the end of the day, whatever they are tasked to do, they complete it. A consent form is basically a judgement that will be taken into the court. As you as the person who is in charge of the property or owns the property states that as of date on the form have some type of obligation to the Belize City Council in respect of payments. It was a case for one Marie Williams of 3711 Louise Bevans Street who never ever appeared at the municipal court. However, I Mr. Nunez, did in fact went to Mr. William Young and got the money from him to do the transaction on his behalf. Because basically I was the individual who he tasked to do his daily works at the Belize City Council in respect to payments and so forth. What happened, I was taken before the disciplinary hearing where I explained to the committee what transpired, but they did not believe my side of the story. In essence, they are trying to say that I stole the money. When in fact I did not steal any money. I did what I was supposed to do. The only thing I did not complete was the transaction that I was supposed to do, because I had to leave the office, because I had an emergency. But I left another person in charge of completing the transaction for me. However, when I came back, I didn't get the receipt from him until about 2-3 days afterwards. A receipt was in fact issued with the Belize Council logo on it and also the Belize City Council stamp. To my mind I thought that the receipt was legit, but a year afterwards when it came to light, then they brought me and told me that the receipt was fake. The book went missing from 2008, under the revenue manager and the book was never reported stolen until this scenario came up in 2015 with the receipt that was issued to the said Marie Williams. The individual and I who signed the consent form, he was given like a slap on the wrist. He was given 14 days suspension. First things first, the regulation was not passed into law. So that is null and void. But because I am not a very liked person amongst the hierarchy of the Belize City Council, hence the reason they did what they did."
"I am working for the Belize City Council for over 10 years. Check my record. My record clean. They don't have anything on me to say that I stole money from anybody and moreover, when I went in that disciplinary hearing I was kangarooed, I was railroaded. Because basically at the end of the disciplinary hearing, they had nothing on me. So now the administrator gave me and ultimatum for me to go find a book. How in the world will I find a book that was lost from Belize City Council revenue department? I have never ever worked at City Hall. I was at City Council since 2003 and from I was there I was always at municipal court. But because I can't find that book, hence the reason why they say that I need to go home."
Daniel Ortiz
"Are you going to take any action to try and clear your name and to deal with the issue which your position is wrongful termination? Are you going to take actions against that?"
Joseph Nunez
"I have to. I will not leave it like that. I worked for over 10 years with those people and to leave my money there? No man. I need what is rightfully mine. The bible says "give to Caesar what is for Caesar" so listen to me City Council "give to Joe what is for Joe.""
As you heard, he intends to fight his termination, which he asserts is wrongful termination.
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