Election changes everything! Just ask those workers groups who are agitating for salary increases. And it also changes things in the Supreme Court. The
PUP today had to postpone two of their major lawsuits against Prime Minister Dean Barrow.
Today was supposed to be the day where Chief Justice Kenneth Benjamin would have started hearing the case where Francis Fonseca is suing Barrow because
he hasn't brought the 13th senator online.
That would have been a lengthy trial, but because the general elections will be held on November 4, both sides agreed to postpone the case. The PUP is
hoping that it will be elected to office, where they promise to bring the 13th Senator into effect. If they lose, then PUP will press the case forward.
After exiting a case management conference, Eamon Courtenay, Fonseca's attorney, explained the rationale to us:
Eamon Courtenay, SC - Attorney for Francis Fonseca
"It was set for trial today but it has been adjourned by agreement because the date for the election has been set. Therefore it has been adjourned to
the 30th of November when we hope by then with a new prime minister we will have a 13th senator appointed; and then the claim would be withdrawn. In
the event that, that does not happen then the chief justice will set a trial date at that point in time."
Daniel Ortiz
"Sir what are the instructions from your client Mr. Fonseca in relation to this matter? Is to be argued to completion? Is he still philosophically
trying to push this through to make sure that it happens?"
Eamon Courtenay, SC - Attorney for Francis Fonseca
"Let me just say this and I speak on the specific authority of the party leader; and I'm not speaking at this time as an attorney but as a
representative of the party. The leader of the opposition has indicated to me that he wish the public to know that his party is firmly committed to
appointing the 13th senator. He regards the refusal of the prime minister to appoint the 13th senator to constitute the betrayal of the trust of the
Belizean people. He went to the electorate on that promise, he was elected, the constitution was amended, the provision is there and he has refused to
bring it into force. I think the public ought to recall as we move towards the election that one of the results and the unfortunate results of the
prime minister's dereliction of duty is that there was no inquiry into the corrupt dealing of the Penner scandal; the immigration scandal. That was one
of the things the senate attempted to do but because there was no 13th senator it was not done. And therefore the commitment of the PUP and it's leader
Francis Fonseca is as soon as possible as it is elected to office there will be a 13th senator."
Daniel Ortiz
"One final question sir, are you offering your services, your resources to the party in trying to get elected to office?"
Eamon Courtenay, SC - Attorney for Francis Fonseca
"All hands are on deck. The PUP is united; the date has been set on the 4th of November and its full steam ahead; we will defeat the UDP."
Another PUP case which got adjourned today was Orlando Habet's Elvin Penner Recall Petition Lawsuit. This is the case where Habet, the PUP's Standard
Bearer for Cayo Northeast, was challenging the decision from the Chief Elections Officer to reject a portion of the signatures collected to trigger the
recall referendum. It doesn't matter now because parliament has been dissolved and PEnner is no longer a representative.
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