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PM Says Castro Brothers Controversy Overblown
posted (June 22, 2017)
The Prime Minister also gave us his thoughts on the controversy surrounding Cabinet Minister Edmund Castro's sons, Wasani and Jafari and their eventful Friday the 16th. The Castro boys were caught driving without licenses, allegedly assaulted the police, and also allegedly beaten by the police, and then 16 hours later, busted with 89 cases of contraband beer. And after all of that, they didn't appear in court to answer to any charges - all the matters were settled one way or another. Barrow told us that while unfortunate, he doesn't think the actions Castro's adult sons should be as controversial as they have been...

Rt. Hon. Dean Barrow, Prime Minister
"I don't see how this is in anywise a political matter. Minister Castro's sons were not involved in any incidents that had to do with any abuse of government property, any purloining of government resources. And I saw the ages of the two young men, these are adults. I don't see that Minister Castro can be expected to answer for the behavior of his adult children and that's where I would leave it. I know that, in fact, he certainly clearly would rather that these incidents had not happened, but how he treats with that is a family matter and I don't think that it is my place to get into that at all, at all."

Reporter
"And about the aspect of perhaps the fact that they got the ministerial good treatment, so to speak, insofar as the way the police department dealt with the issue?"

Rt. Hon. Dean Barrow, Prime Minister
"Well, I don't know enough to speak authoritatively on that, I saw what ACP Williams said. I saw what Herbert Panton said and he seemed to be making a lot of sense when he was talking about the difference between a charge sheet and a court book and making the case that charges were never laid."

"Again, it wasn't as though the young men were involved in the commission of some absolutely serious crime. An unfortunate incident, an unfortunate set of circumstances, but if they worked it out then I think that's fine."

The police were criticized for allegedly giving the Castros preferential treatment after the media unearthed evidence of a statement requesting court action, and actual charge sheets. Police and the castors attorney have called this all just political mischief.

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