Maria Lara is an independent councilor candidate for the BPP in Punta Gorda town. She's relatively obscure but has risen quite suddenly to national prominence after she alleged that the UDP tried to buy her out - so that she would not run as an independent. Lara gave an interview to PGTV - which is owned by her political boss Wil Maheia. She makes it clear that she had - sometime before - asked UDP activists in her town for assistance with her Galen University fees. That eventually led her to Andre Price, and form there to Juliet Thimbriel. Here's how she explained it:..
Maria Lara, BPP Candidate
"I met Mr. Price the other night, and he asked me the same thing, if I was getting help to cover my school fees at Galen University, and I told him not yet. Then he told me his party is going to help me, and he will check someone that he can talk to, to help me pay all my bills. The following day I got a call which was yesterday and I went to meet them at Mr. Eden's Farm and I met there one of the senator. I think her name was Miss Juliet and I didn't expect what they asked me to do; first I needed to do that before I get the help."
Reporter
"What was that?"
Maria Lara
"They asked me to do a public declaration, that I should step down from the B.P.P., and one hundred percent sure they would pay my bills. And I didn't feel quite comfortable with it, so I did tell them I was going to think about it; then I just changed my mind and didn't accept the deal."
Today, we spoke to Juliet Thimbriel who flatly rejected that account. She said Lara asked Andre Price for assistance with her fees.
She says Lara asked Price to see her and said that Wil Maheia had promised to pay her school fees, and didn't - so she went to see Thimbriel. Thimbriel said she told Lara that she can only offer help to those who support her councillor candidates. Thimbriel told us that Lara volunteered that in exchange for assistance she would come out in support of the UDP Mayoral candidate, Ashton McKenzie .
We have also seen text messages purporting to be from Lara where - after this exchange - she apologizes to Andre Price and says that when she went back to Maheia - he did give her a check to pay her fees.
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