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Gapi Socialized With Mason Also
posted (July 29, 2016)
And getting back to Mason now, after some digging, the press has found out that Former Deputy Prime Minister Gaspar Vega was also a guest of William Mason. The media went north to go ask Vega about it, and after some back and forth, he admitted that he too had socialized with Mason.

Here's how he put it:

Hon. Gaspar Vega - Minister of Agriculture
"I don't know where they came up with that, that I introduce Mr. Mason to the Mennonite business person. I am not even aware that anyone in the ministry took part on it. I spoke to my CEO and he said that the only thing he knows is that Mason had visited the ministry once, but not even he took part in introducing Mason to the Mennonite community."

Reporter
"What about Manuel Trujillo sir?"

Hon. Gaspar Vega - Minister of Agriculture
"I didn't ask him, to be sincere, when they said the minister, I figured it's me and the closest to me is the CEO and that's how far I went. I don't know if Manuel Trujillo had any dealings. It's the first time that I even got anyone to mention such thing."

Reporter
"We had reliable reports that it was him who introduced Mason to you and as a matter of fact there is a document which shows that Mason and Trujillo were at the same venue in Guyana back in 2013."

Hon. Gaspar Vega - Minister of Agriculture
"I have no knowledge about that and Trujillo did not introduce Mason to me."

Reporter
"Have you met Mr. Mason personally?"

Hon. Gaspar Vega - Minister of Agriculture
"Yes I have."

Report
"In what context?"

Hon. Gaspar Vega - Minister of Agriculture
"Just on a social context."

Reporter
"Where sir?"

Hon. Gaspar Vega - Minister of Agriculture
"At his house."

Reporter
"Was that the first and only time you visited him?"

Hon. Gaspar Vega - Minister of Agriculture
"I met him twice."

Reporter
"When would this have been more or less?"

Hon. Gaspar Vega - Minister of Agriculture
"I don't really remember. To tell you the truth it was brief and it's been some time and that was it."

Reporter
"Was it in the sense of political campaigning? Trying to get financing from him?"

Hon. Gaspar Vega - Minister of Agriculture
"No, never."

Reporter
"Did you visit him alone or with someone else?"

Hon. Gaspar Vega - Minister of Agriculture
"I think I visited with someone else but it's been a long time and like I said I didn't give it that much importance."

Reporter
"Have you ever received campaign financing from him?"

Hon. Gaspar Vega - Minister of Agriculture
"No."

Reporter
"When you spoke with him, what name did he introduce himself as?"

Hon. Gaspar Vega - Minister of Agriculture
"I think it was Danny."

Reporter
"Just Danny?"

Hon. Gaspar Vega - Minister of Agriculture
"Yes."

Reporter
"And what did you know about this 'Danny'?"

Hon. Gaspar Vega - Minister of Agriculture
"Just that he is an investor that just came into Belize and that was it."

Reporter
"So to your knowledge, the ministry of agriculture never signed or entered into any agreement with him to provide anything?"

Hon. Gaspar Vega - Minister of Agriculture
"Never, no, not that I know of."

Reporter
"From those two times that you met with Mason, did you ever have any doubts as to his identity or as to who he was saying he was?"

Hon. Gaspar Vega - Minister of Agriculture
"I really didn't give it that much importance, it was a brief meeting and that was it. I have met a lot of people in being Minister of Agriculture, Minister of Lands, Deputy Prime Minister, and if I tell you that I can recall every meeting, I'd be lying."

Reporter
"So you just went to have drinks with this gentleman a couple of times?"

Hon. Gaspar Vega - Minister of Agriculture
"I was invited, I don't even remember to be sincere, who had invited me because I was trying to recall because I knew you guys would be here today."

Reporter
"We imagine that when you met Mason it would have been while you were still Deputy Prime Minister, it would be naive of us to think that someone of Mason's character would try to get some kind of agreement through you with the government to make some more money."

Hon. Gaspar Vega - Minister of Agriculture
"What do you want me to tell you? I have told you the truth. Do you want me to change the truth?"

Reporter
"Not at all sir."

Hon. Gaspar Vega - Minister of Agriculture
"Alright well that's what I said."

Reporter
"Sir it is said, as I've intimated previously, that this man is singing. Are you afraid that he's going to reveal anything that could incriminate you?"

Hon. Gaspar Vega - Minister of Agriculture
"Not at all."

Vega insists that he did not introduce the Mennonite businessman Lloyd Freisen to Mason. Freissen alleges that Mason jilted him out of 300 thousand dollars. Freissen, who has fled the country a second time fearing for his life, reported that Mason then kidnapped him and his wife to threaten and extort them so that they would remain quiet. Reports from the Freissen family is that that introduction to Mason was made by a well-known PUP from the south.

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