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PUP Stands By Its Man, Eamon
posted (February 13, 2017)
Last week Wednesday, we first started reporting on the opening of the UDP's political offensive against PUP Senator Eamon Courtenay. You've probably seen the political ads on the news, calling him out for an alleged conflict of interest. The UDP argues that that on one hand, he's representing the public interest in the Senate, while the other, he's retained to assist the Ashcroft Alliance in recovering 50 million US dollars in arbitration awards by going after Belize's foreign assets - including the reserves.

The ruling party has been insisting that he resigns, or that the PUP forces him to step down. Well today in Belize City, Opposition Leader John Briceño, called a press conference at party headquarters to say he's doing no such thing. Briceño says the UDP is jumping on an opportunity to try to get Courtenay out of the Senate Inquiry that has been slowly peeling away at the corruption at the Immigration Department. Here's how he put it:

Hon. John Briceno, Leader of the Opposition
"Let me be absolutely clear, our party stands for and with the people of Belize. We always have and always will. The position of the People's United Party in support of the protection of our reserves has not changed and it will not change. Over the past few days the UDP has been on a smear campaign against Senator Eamon Courtenay. It is quite obvious that the UDP is afraid of Senator Courtenay and will do everything possible to get him removed from the senate select committee that is looking into the immigration scandal. As you reported in your news stories, it was Senator Courtenay who got the former director of immigration to confess to the mass illegal nationalities and registration and has revealed rampant UDP fraud. The UDP now want his out of the senate, because he will soon start to question these very UDP ministers who have been named in this corruption scandal."

"No doubt, this is simply a UDP sideshow which further exposed the fact that they are afraid of what more will be uncovered by Senator Courtenay in the weeks to come. The truth is that this UDP sideshow is nothing more than a feeble attempt to distract Belizeans from the real issues."

"Where is the UDP outrage over the massive scandal in the Ministry of Lands? Why has Sharon Pitts and Andre Vega, the son of the former deputy prime minister? not been brought up on charges for not returning close to one million dollars wrongfully gained through a hustle which involves the former deputy prime minister."

As you saw, Briceño did not address the core issue against Courtenay: that allegation of a conflict of interest. So, when the floor was opened up for questions, we put it to him directly, and here's how he responded:

Daniel Ortiz, 7News
"The harshest UDP government criticism of Senator Courtenay is that he has a conflict of interest in that he serves the people at the PUP's pleasure and appointment, but he is currently in his attorneys' capacity serving the interest of his client Mr. Lord Ashcroft against Belize. These 2 capacities are a direct conflict with each other."

Hon. John Briceno, Leader of the Opposition
"I believe that we need to start by asking the Prime Minister about his conflict of interest when his law firm continues to do work for a company that is owned by Mr. Ashcroft. What bigger conflict can you have there? That is where we need to start with."

"Eamon Courtenay has demonstrated that he has and continues to always stand on the side of Belize. What is happening is that the UDP and the Prime Minister, they are afraid of having Eamon Courtenay stay in the senate."

Daniel Ortiz, 7News
"But sir, respectfully, you have not answered the direct matter that is there: the conflict of interest. Do you agree or disagree that there is a conflict of interest?"

Hon. John Briceno, Leader of the Opposition
"Of course I disagree and what they are doing - they have no evidence. It is their opinion. I continue to maintain my confidence in the work that he continues to do for this party as a Senator and as a Belizean."

Reporter
"Senator Courtenay, who some out there view, of course he is representing Ashcroft group company's interest. So him versus the people of Belize kind of thing. That's how some people are seeing it out there in the public."

Hon. John Briceno, Leader of the Opposition
"I can't stop people from seeing it how they want. But I can tell you that we in the party, we continue to support him and continue to support the work that he does for our party."

We note that we did approach Courtenay for an interview on the story when we caught up to him at the Supreme Court today. He declined, saying that he would address it at a later time.

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