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Hon. Patrick Faber, Deputy Prime Minister
"Between 5:30-6pm I'd say. I parked my vehicle at mile 3.5-4 miles there on the George Price Highway and I got a lift back to the Old Belize where I was earlier in the day having gone to the cayes. While I was there, I was notified, maybe about 8pm or so by Ms. Ava from LOVE FM that my vehicle was reportedly in the sea in front of Marine Parade. I checked and sure enough my vehicle was not where I had expected it to be and it was then that I learnt that it was stolen. As far as I was able to ascertain the vehicle was stolen and taken for a ride. I have not seen the vehicle so I can't tell you if there were thing missing. I can only say what the police reported to me. I did have very limited amount of money in the glove compartment. I think about $200-$300 and my credit cards and stuff like that which I was able to get back from the police."

Jules Vasquez
"Is there anyone that you know who has a reason to do this? Who has a grievance against you that would take your vehicle with malice and forth off and say I will run it in the sea?"

Hon. Patrick Faber, Deputy Prime Minister
"I always say that I don't have much enemies, but in politics that's sometimes nonsensical. But to my knowledge nobody had that kind of anger towards me. At least I did not know about it. The police reported to me that the eyewitnesses saw a male of creole descent driving the vehicle contrary to the flow of traffic on weekends on the Princess Margaret Drive coming into Marine Parade and then it came on the side of traffic that it was not to and then veered into the sea. I will say that I've heard comments that people are saying that I was in the driver's seat and I'll make that as plain as I can: I was nowhere in the vehicle. Some of the descriptions that have come to me say that it was a person of creole descent short and kind of stocky - some would believe describes me. I will assure people that I was nowhere around the scene and it was not me who was driving."

Jules Vasquez
"Now you said you parked it at mile 3.5 and then you went ahead to Old Belize. You parked it at a home, secure home?"

Hon. Patrick Faber, Deputy Prime Minister
"Yes I did."

Jules Vasquez
"When I spoke to Mr. Williams he said the home of your girlfriend."

Hon. Patrick Faber, Deputy Prime Minister
"Yes I did parked it at the home of a friend and it is my understanding that the keys may have been left inside. You will know that there is a feature on the vehicle that does not really require you to physically have the key in your hands and it's a push button for it to start. So when I drove it in fact to that location, I didn't have the keys on me. It was in the vehicle and so yes that was where I left the vehicle and I did not authorize anybody to move it or to drive it. My check on how it moved or I left the key with my friend indeed, caused me to believe as she is saying that somebody stole the vehicle."

Jules Vasquez
"Sir, have you acted with due vigilance in guarding public assets?"

Hon. Patrick Faber, Deputy Prime Minister
"That's a fair question. In deed that is my practice. That has been how I've operated wherever I can save the government's money and guard its resources I do so and I think those who know me will attest to that."

Jules Vasquez
"However, you left the key in the vehicle or you have another key floating around."

Hon. Patrick Faber, Deputy Prime Minister
"No, I did not leave the key in the vehicle. I left the key with my friend as I said to you."

Jules Vasquez
"And that key is still secure?"

Hon. Patrick Faber, Deputy Prime Minister
"No the key was apparently left in the vehicle. She has reported that she came back for some parcel she had in the vehicle and that it was then that she left it in there. So in so far as your point is, that may have been reckless, I don't know how you could attribute that to me. But in so far as I trusted that the person that I entrusted to have the key may have left it in the vehicle then, yes."

Jules Vasquez
"Ultimately you are responsible."

Hon. Patrick Faber, Deputy Prime Minister
"Ultimately, that is correct. I regret that there is this circumstance of course has caused tremendous damage to a property that belongs to the government. I hate to be in that kind of situation and I know that there are some who wait for these kinds of things to happen and then use it as a kind of judgement against the work of the government and I hope that people don't look at things like that because again, for me this is very unfortunate."

Reporter
"When the vehicle was out in the sea, we noted that there were no license plates on it. Given that it is a government vehicle, shouldn't there have been blue license plates?"

Hon. Patrick Faber, Deputy Prime Minister
"Yes, the police did report that the plates are and in the vehicle. There was a ministerial plate and there was the blue license plate that was issued for the vehicle. So the plates are there."

Jules Vasquez
"When you drove it, did it have the plates?"

Hon. Patrick Faber, Deputy Prime Minister
"I use the ministerial plates at time to time. If you are trying to say I'm at fault for not using the plates - guilty as charge sir."

Jules Vasquez
"Okay, indeed. That's what I'm trying to say. On the other point, you always like to boast in your speeches that you are a young man, I don't know how true it is. But you always say you are a young man and indeed into the lives of unattached young men as you may be, often enters sort of a disharmony in relationships and vendettas, these sort of thing - these things happen. There is widespread speculation, you address some speculation earlier, that in fact it may have been some type of amorous dispute which may have landed your vehicle in the sea."

Hon. Patrick Faber, Deputy Prime Minister
"There is nothing to have me believe that that is the case Jules. I, from what I've been told that a male was driving the vehicle that cause it to get into the water. So I have no reason to believe that there was some issue with my friend that caused her to want to damage the vehicle."

As we noted earlier, the SUV cost 130 thousand dollars when it was acquired new in 2013. As per government's policy, GOB paid 90 thousand dollars of that and Faber himself paid the additional forty thousand dollars. It's presently being assessed for repairs and Faber says if the dealer can fix it, he hopes to drive it again. Like all government vehicles it was not insured.

In 2010, the Prime Minister's Toyota Land cruiser accidentally rolled into the sea in front of his house.