Important Note: This Internet version of 7 News is a verbatum
transcript of our evening television news script. Many interviews on our newscast
are conducted in Creole. In the interest of clarity for our foreign readers,
we attempt to paraphrase the Creole quotes in English
Tonight, 102 days after he took up the Home Affairs portfolio on an interim three-month basis, Julius Espat says he is still minister-but only "theoretically". What does that mean?
Today in Belmopan, we asked him about yesterday's Cabinet meeting-the first since the Prime Minister scolded him publicly for suggesting some in the PUP were not in touch with the party's social justice roots.
But things went smoothly at Cabinet-so does that mean he gets to keep the high-profile, high-pressure portfolio? Here's how he responded to that:
Jules Vasquez: "I get the impression that you will retain the Ministry of Home Affairs."
Julius Espat, Minister of Home Affairs / MIDH "I don't know about that."
Jules Vasquez: "No final position has been made?"
Julius Espat: "No. That now is sad for Belize, not for me. The Police Department needs a substantive minister, however it is. It is not a regular ministry. The police officers need to know who their leader is, and that's all I'm asking for the Prime Minister: to make his decision on one of the most important ministries in this country. I'm doing it because I was there for three months, and I understand the needs, and I understand that he needs somebody there that is willing to put in the time to help us address the crime problems in this country. And the police officers are capable-they just need to know and they need guidance, and we need to, as a government, provide that to them. So that's the only concern that I had. And I mentioned it to him. Everything that I tell you here, he knows, because I have mentioned it to him personally. You know me, Jules, I don't play around. If I have a concern, I tell him-that's my job, that's my responsibility, and if I don't do that, I feel like I am not doing my job."
Jules Vasquez: "But now you're on extra time, because June 22nd to September 22nd was the interim three months. What is the understanding at this point?"
Julius Espat: "No understanding."
Jules Vasquez: "So then do you know what happens next?"
Julius Espat: "No."
Jules Vasquez: "But you are still Minister of Home Affairs today."
So, there's no understanding on what happens next with this critical portfolio, and Espat seems quite exasperated in what he characterized as being in "limbo":
Julius Espat, Minister of Home Affairs / MIDH "I'm humbly requesting to the Prime Minister: make up your mind. Put a minister, any minister, bring him from Timbuktu if you want. But place somebody that you have trust in, that you can work with, that the people in Belize are comfortable with, that your police officers are comfortable with, and I will be 100% in support."
Jules Vasquez: "But you have said you are prepared to be that person."
Julius Espat: "That is waning. I'm not too sure."
Jules Vasquez: "What accounts for your waning?"
Julius Espat: "Uncertainty."
Jules Vasquez: "Limbo."
Julius Espat: "In limbo. I am a man... limbo drives me in a different direction."
But the PM disagreed. When we asked him about Minister Espat's comments, he said that Espat is the Minister of Home Affairs.
He explained that he has not had time to properly make his decision, especially since he has yet to receive the audit on the Ministry of Defence.
He added that he will make the decision when he believes the time is right:
Reporter "While we know you are still working on the decision of who will take over the Home Affairs Ministry, this morning we spoke to the temporary minister and he said he's humbly requesting for you to make up your mind, because the portfolio is currently in limbo."
John Briceno, Prime Minister "I don't know how he can say it's in the limbo-he is the minister. I did not appoint him minister of limbo, I appointed him as the minister, not even the acting-he's the minister responsible for the police. But we need to appreciate... I just came back on Monday, and as soon as I got back on Monday, we had the visit from the Taiwan Foreign Minister and we've been dealing with that. Yesterday we had Cabinet, today we have House Meeting, so it would have been difficult to answer. I think that it's not a matter of me being pressured or being given a timeline when to answer. I think as the Prime Minister, I should be given the opportunity to make the decision when I believe is the right time. I was hoping that we'd be able to get a report from the Auditor General on what are her findings and what if any are the recommendations we can do. I haven't gotten it as yet. Maybe sometime next week I'll try to find out if she needs more time-maybe we have to make a decision sooner than later."
Seems like it will be later rather than sooner-but in between that, in mid-September, the Prime Minister publicly scolded Espat in a morning show appearance on LOVE FM.
Today, Espat said he would have to give him a bly because the man is under stress:
Jules Vasquez: "Your response to what the Prime Minister said? He publicly scolded you."
Julius Espat, PUP Cayo South "He is the Prime Minister-give him a bly. Everybody is entitled to have their emotions exposed, that is fine. He acted emotionally. And I spoke to him afterwards, and I showed him in the interview that was done by, I think, Channel 7. That is not what I said. I made a comment that a colleague of mine and I work really well together because I believe we share a social conscience. In no way did I say that our party does not have social justice. In no way did I say that any member of our government does not practice social justice. I just felt that the Deputy and I share a social conscience, which is true. But he... he is under pressure, so I understand."
Jules Vasquez: "But I asked you at that time, 'Do other members share that?' And you said, 'No, everyone has to have their own strengths and weaknesses.'"
Julius Espat: "Yes, yes, but I didn't say that they don't share social justice to a certain level. But I insist the table is made up of-and it should be made up of-people with varying points of view. The country is made up of people in various, varying points of view. Our leaders are made up of varying points of view."
Jules Vasquez: "But there are core beliefs which you cannot stray from if you are a member of a certain group of PUP. You can't stray from your sense of social justice."
Julius Espat: "Yes, that is what leadership is about-you repeat what we stand for. And that is what we stand for, and we have to get together and work at it. I think the Deputy made some comments based on that too, and the Prime Minister made some comments on that too. So it is not that we are differing. Maybe the approach is different, maybe stress makes you vehemently try to correct somebody that was right, but we are human beings. We are entitled to that, and I respect that."
And while Espat didn't want to get into trouble, he did say that he thought Jules Vasquez's commentary on Rossana Briceño's trip to Guatemala City was not offensive.
But it still did trigger the PM to use an expletive in referring to Jules Vasquez, and accused him of making a personal attack on his wife.
We asked Espat to discuss his boss's temperament and state of mind:
Jules Vasquez: "So you don't feel any way that he publicly scolded you, basically raised his voice?"
Julius Espat: "How many times have you and I spoken and I told you that if you're in this business and something like that bothers you, then it's best you leave? Can you imagine the stress that a Prime Minister is under? So you have to work with what you have, and you have to understand his emotions take over at times, and if I eased it a bit, then I'm good with that."
Jules Vasquez: "So then how did you and the Prime Minister move on from there?"
Julius Espat: "We were in Cabinet yesterday, and we have no problem."
Later on in the interview, Espat amplified those remarks, saying sometimes the PM may get swept up in his emotions—but that whatever was ruffled in their relationship has been smoothed out:
Espat, as the Minister of Home Affairs and the Prime Minister as Chairman of the National Security Council, must work together on the serious breach of Belizean airspace that happened eight days ago.
Today, Espat shared an interesting conclusion on that flight, which dovetailed with some digging Jules Vasquez has been doing. Here's the report:...
This is a little-known airstrip on Lighthouse Caye, seven miles from the Blue Hole.
And there is another on Northern Two Caye-which we traveled to in 2016.
This is the same area where the Guatemalan intelligence and reconnaissance aircraft was circling for over an hour on Thursday, September 24th.
Were they on some kind of anti-narcotics operation-perhaps in partnership with the U.S.?
And does that mysterious flight have anything to do with a recent wet drop which has flooded the local criminal networks with distinctively marked bricks of cocaine?
The Police Minister does believe there could be a relationship:
Jules Vasquez: "The Guatemalan plane, airspace incursion... what do you make of it as Police Minister?"
Julius Espat, Minister of Home Affairs "It's a security concern, because they may have been here in something related to the narco trade, and we know that cocaine is out right now... same day."
Jules Vasquez: "Share with us your perspective on the confluence of events?"
Julius Espat: "We just need to look at it closely. And we know it happened. And we have seen the... the products on, I think it was on your... on your station. It's there. It's a reality. And we have to sit down with the North American... our North American partners to find a way to solve it. I don't think it can be 100%. It has never been 100% solved, but we can minimize it. I think the cooperation is a good one, but we can... we can better it. That... the plane scenario was true. It's been proven to be true. And sometimes people try to underestimate and belittle... and the technology that youths have access to now, we are in the AI reality. And you have to respect those, because they're being confirmed... the... the... the CEO from Defence confirmed that it is so. And I think the Foreign Ministry is taking it up now at a different level, that you can say it's not true from the other side. Well, that's their issue. And... but the truth is it always set you free. And so the... everybody has the data. The North American partners have the data and we have the data... our Central American partners have the data. Even the young guy has it before everybody, it seems."
Jules Vasquez: "Would you agree, though, that there is a jarring coincidence in the timeline that people are talking about 'things di float' and you started hearing that around the same time of the plane?"
Julius Espat: "Yeah, it's a reality. It happened around the same time."
Indeed, a coincidence that is hard to ignore-but for the time being at least, the Guatemalans are sticking to their guns:
Bernardo Arevalo, President, Guatemala "We have a mechanism that will prevent any incident that occurs from escalating into something more. In any case, this flight did not take place, and we are waiting for them to come and verify it."
And we asked the PM whether he saw a correlation between the wet drop and the airspace incursion. But Briceno wasn't aware of the possibility and seemed to blame Espat for that.
Reporter "Do you see any correlation in the two events in timing as Chairman of the National Security Council?"
John Briceno, Prime Minister "Well, the Minister of Police has not given me a briefing. If he had given me a briefing, then I can comment."
Reporter "The National Security Council?"
John Briceno: "We have not met. Remember, I was away-I just came in. We hope to be able to have a meeting on Monday with the ministries that are directly related to this issue."
So-does the PM get wrong or distorted information from those in his immediate circle? And does he then make comments he has to backpedal on or apologize for? Well, we asked him:
John Briceno, Prime Minister "What do you expect him to say? Obviously, he was caught-we have the information. And we're not going to move from that. We're still looking forward to be able to meet with the OAS, where we're going to present all the information. Remember, he said it was an amateur... something that was an amateur following these flights. We have all of the information, the complete track and everything, so we're sticking with our point."
Reporter "Have you been in contact with him since?"
John Briceno: "Not lately."
Reporter "Did he really apologize to your wife?"
John Briceno: "Actually, what he did, he did express concerns to ensure that he wanted to keep a strong relationship between both countries, which we do-we've always had a good relationship, and we all understand that from time to time, it's the military that creates some of these problems."
Reporter "What happened with the date? You said September 23rd, and it happened September 24th."
Twenty-eight-year-old Chad Borland is dead following a traffic accident on the Hummingbird Highway in Belmopan yesterday evening.
Shortly after 4:00 p.m., police reported to the scene near La Cabaña Bar, where Borland was found motionless on the ground, approximately one foot from the right side of a black Mazda that had veered off the highway and travelled deep into the bushes.
The vehicle was discovered approximately 150 feet from the roadway. It had sustained extensive damage across its body.
Nearby, police also found 28-year-old Jeffrey Perez, who had apparent blood coming from the back of his head. Borland was transported to the Western Regional Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 5:20 p.m. Police say their preliminary investigation suggests the Mazda was travelling from the direction of the Belmopan roundabout toward Armenia before it veered off the highway.
Yesterday, we told you about the parents of Jaheem Williams, the 17-year-old who died in a 2022 collision between a busito taxi and an ambulance.
His parents, Netticia and Ed Williams, told us they have still not received compensation-even though the High Court has found the state liable.
So why hasn't the government settled with them?
The Attorney General told us today via a text message that, quote, "The Court has not made a decision on the amount that is to be paid by the Government. That is what the parties are trying to settle on at this time. The proposal submitted is being considered, and Government will respond in a week's time. If the parties cannot agree, then the matter goes back to court." End quote.
The TV Ramos Highway is getting another round of repairs, but questions are emerging over why sections of the recently resurfaced road are already showing potholes.
So what caused the failure and who's to blame? We spoke with both the Minister and the Chief Engineer:
Evondale Moody, Chief Engineer, MIDH "As you may be aware, the Southern Highway, now known as the TV Ramos Highway, was built in 2000, right? And it took us about five to seven years for us to complete the entire Southern Highway. That's how I have known it as-now known as the TV Ramos Highway. So, in 2000 to 2006-2007, we completely constructed that highway from Six Miles Junction all the way to Cattle Landing, including the section going to Independence. Over the last 26 years, we haven't done any maintenance on that highway since it was paved, and that was because the road had stand up very well, because we didn't have a high volume of traffic, right? The volume of traffic now has increased significantly on TV Ramos Highway because of the heavy equipment moving towards the port, and also all the developments that has happened along the Southern Highway. With that in mind, the Ministry thought it was important for us to commence a project now for us to rehabilitate, but only to reseal the highway, because the formation of the highway, we thought, was still in very good condition. So the resealing that we're doing is just a hot mix overlay, whereby we're placing two inches of hot mix asphalt over the entire section, and what we have done now is approximately 34 kilometers."
Julius Espat, Minister of Infrastructure Development and Housing "It's a resurfacing. Resurfacing means you just go over the existing asphalt that's there. That was what the original design was for. After a couple of months of using the first phase, we started to note that it had some failures-potholes, if you want to call it. And we have already done about... I think about two and a half kilometers have already been redone. And to do it, it's not to resurface again. We had to do it like if you're building a new road, like how you drove over the George Price Highway. So the contractor had to go back in. And what happened is that you have humidity at the bottom, and the humidity goes all the way through the asphalt. So it is specifically from Silk Grass going towards Dangriga that the problem occurs. We have fixed about more than half of it already completely. And what you saw right now is the last phase that we are doing. It is under the warranty period, and so the contractor has been dealing with it. There are certain aspects that we will have to deal with that he has no control of, but in large extent, the contractor is doing it under the warranty period."
Jules Vasquez: "But the humidity is not something new. The moisture under there could have been known. Was it a lack of proper planning or foresight?"
Julius Espat: "Because of it being resurfacing, you don't really know."
Jules Vasquez: "So, but was it a lack of proper management?"
Julius Espat: "It's construction."
Jules Vasquez: "But you're approaching it in a way that... that we're going to half-fix it. But the problems that created the first failures..."
Julius Espat: "Nothing is perfect."
Jules Vasquez: "And that can be good, but it's asking for perfection. And we just had to... the road last time."
Julius Espat: "Is it not the end product? And we haven't completed it yet. The end product... and in the contract, it specifies that if something is not to the quality that we want, then you have to go back and fix it. That's why you have a limited liability period. And that's what we are engaged in. Any construction-in, in buildings, in roads, any construction-has that clause in for a specific... when you do a contract, when you have a contract with somebody to build your house, there is always a retainer, and that goes for either three months, six months, or a year, depending on the scope of the project, to see if there is anything wrong."
In other infrastructure news, Belize City will soon face traffic disruption caused by the reconstruction of two major bridges.
Now, Espat says one of the temporary bridges near the existing Swing Bridge will no longer be temporary, as the government plans to keep the reinforced concrete structure permanently.
Here's more:
Jules Vasquez: "So you all are building right now a temporary bridge to two temporary bridges, right? Simultaneously. One just north of San Cas Plaza and the other one just north of the existing Swing Bridge. Explain to me, what are the plans for these?"
Julius Espat, Minister of Infrastructure Development and Housing "Well, the one by Swing Bridge, definitely we have agreed. Originally, it was just a temporary bridge, and then we got a costing for a single lane. And then I said, 'What would it cost if it would be double lane?' And the cost came in extremely minimal because the spans were about the same. And so I said, 'If we are going to invest all of this money into a temporary bridge, could it not remain permanent?' And everybody said, 'Yes.' So we spoke to the City Council, and we asked them if they had any problem with that remaining permanent. They said no, and I thought it was a good idea because then you have more access to Northside and Southside. I think it would bring economic viability to that area of the Southside, Regent Street West and the canal area. So it will... it will remain permanent, and it's a concrete-reinforced structure. So it's well done and properly designed."
Jules Vasquez: "So after the long national nightmare of losing two bridges simultaneously, two major arteries, we will emerge from that three?"
Julius Espat: "Right."
Jules Vasquez: "And why could we do this one permanent?"
Julius Espat: "Because we purchased the land. And so it is... it is owned by the Government of Belize. The one that we... I don't think we will be able to leave permanent is the one by San Cas, because we are renting that."
As we reported some weeks ago, the Racoon Street Police Station roof is getting long-needed rehabilitation work. Minister of Home Affairs Julius Espat says that after the bidding process was over, the work began:
Julius Espat, Minister of Infrastructure Development and Housing "That's a good story. We put it out to bid. We did the design. We put it out to bid. We couldn't afford the whole thing, so we only started with the roof. The bid was won. The contract was approved by the Ministry of Finance and the Contractor General, and it was awarded. It started last week. It will cover the roof. So basically the tower will reduce... never been used, and we're putting a metallic structure to reinforce the roof itself and to sustain strong winds and to be able to ease up the burden of the leaking. But that's only one phase. It's like a roof over the roof. And then right now we finished the design to do the cladding of the walls, because the walls are all... it's like sieve. And so the second contract... and well, I don't know who will deal with it, because... but we will as MIDH, we will prepare the bids and everything, and the new minister will hopefully put it... put it out to bid, and that will be to clad the building on the outside to impermeabilize it, and look at all the cracks, look at all the... the rust that's there, and then put a cladding on it to seal it. That would be phase two. Phase three, you have to go into the building itself because it's all moldy, and the police officers are working in the inhumane conditions, and start from the third floor down."
Yesterday, we told you that the employment contract for the Director of Procurement, Rey Guerrero, was leaked, showing a two-year compensation package valued at $450,000. His base salary starts at $160,000 annually-almost double that of a government CEO.
And while that has caused concern among the CEOs and wider public service, the PM today justified the package:
John Briceno, Prime Minister "First of all, what we've been doing here, it's something that we're working with the IFIs, the IDB and the World Bank, and Guerrero manages over 300 million US dollars of projects, and they have set some very stringent requirements as to how we go about procuring them. That is why there is frustration sometimes within the government services or the ministries, because of the demands that we're making for them to be able to set out the contracts. Many times contracts are returned and they have to do them all over again. So that is a part of the agreement that we have. Now, Mr. Guerrero has... as the Central Execution Unit, but apart from that, he's also in charge of the Procurement Unit, so he has double the amount of work. But he's not the only one that has that position. We also have one in the Ministry of Education and the MIDH, and I'm told there's one that's paid even more than what he collects."
Reporter "That's one of the concerns-the size of that compensation package. Probably even higher than yours, PM."
John Briceno: "The point I'm trying to make is that we have another one that is being paid even more than Mr. Guerrero. But until we could be able to get the real professionals-people that have the qualifications, the ability to do the work, move ahead... It's important that we can meet the issues or the requirements of these IFIs, or else we'll never be able to move forward. And to be able to pay these people requires a certain amount of them to do the job."
Guerrero is also Julius Espat's former CEO. But when we asked him about it today, he didn't want to comment:
Julius Espat, Minister of Infrastructure Development and Housing "I saw this morning, I have no reaction. That's a Ministry of Finance deal. And he works directly for the Prime Minister under the Ministry of Finance as the Central Procurement Unit leader, I believe. I have no comment on that."
Jules Vasquez: "But just looking at public affairs in general, should a functionary of the government, especially an office like the Procurement Office, which is essentially a cost-saving... should someone working in a unit like that for the government, not private sector, be making that sort of a contract?"
Julius Espat: "I'm only a service provider. My ministry doesn't decide rates when it comes to salaries. That's a question you have to ask the Prime Minister, with all due respect. I have to go back to speak to my CEO and others that will remind me today. I'll say, 'Hey, where are you going?' So I will deal with that when it comes."
And another recent appointment that the PSU has sounded the alarm on is that of Abelardo Mai Jr.
We told you yesterday that he is now Acting Director of the Belize Solid Waste Management Authority-aside from being the son of the PUP Orange Walk South Area Representative.
Mai was an Economist in the Ministry of Economic Development, and the PSU argued that placing him in that position at the Solid Waste Management Authority violates civil service regulations. They also claim that other qualified technical officers already in the Ministry of Sustainable Development were bypassed.
However, the PM said that there was no one else who could take on the role at this point:
John Briceno, Prime Minister "Again, sometimes I wish that... that the PSU would act more as a partner, and not everything has to be a fight. If they want to be fair, we've had multiple problems at the Solid Waste Management site. They've changed at least three heads or technical people-they do not know how to manage. In one case, there was even the concern that one of them was fudging contracts, and that's something that's under investigation. We need somebody that manages, and Mr. Mai Jr. has an MBA from a university out of Florida, has already worked in the Ministry of Economic Transformation, so he already knows and understands how the government works and has the managerial experience and training. We believe that he can go in there and manage the place. It's a temporary position-it is for six months. Are you saying just because he is a PUP or the son of the former minister he can't get a job? The point is, is he qualified? Yes, he's qualified, and it's a temporary position for six months."
Reporter "Are others qualified, though, or were they jumped over?"
John Briceno: "I couldn't be able to answer at this point, but the point is the people that were within the Solid Waste Management site, they did not, and he's probably the best qualified person at the moment."
And with these lucrative compensation packages for an Area Representative's son and a former CEO, this reinforces the comments made by DPM Cordel Hyde, who said that he believed his party needed to do some soul-searching. Today, Minister Espat agreed and said that all families do it:
Julius Espat, Minister of Infrastructure Development and Housing "I agree with the soul-searching, and in your family, in his family, in our family, you do it every day. The father of a family needs to sit with his family to say, 'Hey guys, and we were doing well, and situation has changed. Let's reanalyze what we're doing and let's move forward.' There's nothing wrong with that, and... but if the deputy of party leader of the... of a party is saying that, then I think we need to sit down and address it and look at it, and we're not far off, but it has to be addressed. If... if issues are not addressed and you leave them in limbo, then people start going in different directions and it becomes more difficult to patch together. We are not in a problematic time. I'm talking leadership among ourselves in the PUP, and I... I'll be honest to everybody out here, me, Julius Espat, will do nothing, I will not do anything negative to undermine the Prime Minister or the Government of Belize. I've been quiet for a while, and Jules can tell you, the other media hosts can tell you, I've been asked multiple times to speak on this issue or other issues, and I have been reluctant because of respect. I was hoping for a decision to be made so that we don't have to go through this, but it hasn't. So I can't leave you guys for too long not answering your questions, because I believe the media has a vital role to play in our democracy, and you deserve for us to respond, and so that's why I am responding."
Hyde also commented on whether he believed the PUP was out of touch with the struggles of the people. Espat said that he believes the Cabinet is paid handsomely, but that they also have a job to do and cannot bury their heads in the sand when it comes to the cost of living:
Julius Espat, Minister of Infrastructure Development and Housing "I am... I pray every night for humility, and I pray every night that the Lord has blessed me and our Cabinet members for what we receive. It is an honor for us to be voted into government and to become a minister-not anybody achieves that. We are paid handsomely, in my opinion, and we are treated extremely well, in my opinion, and we should be grateful for that. But also we should go to work, and we have a job to do, and... and we need to do it to the best of our ability. The country right now has a problem with the cost of living, and if anybody believes that's not the truth, I would categorize that as being an ostrich. We cannot put our heads in the sand and believe that it is not true, and so that we don't put in fuel in our vehicles-that's a fact-but our family members do, and I do when I use my personal vehicles. That our constituents are suffering-yes, they show me their bills, and they come to our constituency office to seek assistance. And I can see the staff members of MIDH and the police officers, and struggle with the salaries that they're receiving. It's a fact, it's a reality of life. When Jules and I were roaming around in Belize City when we were young, pack bread cost $1, right? I don't know what it is right now, I don't."
Jules Vasquez: "$3.75."
Julius Espat: "So it's a problem, and so our salaries have risen a bit, no doubt. The People's United Party raised the minimum wage to five, but it seems to not be enough, and the Prime Minister has already said that he's willing to consider raising it. So we have to deal with it, that's what governments do, and the Prime Minister has said in Cabinet precisely yesterday that we have to deal with it. So the social justice agenda is smack on the table and it has to be dealt with, and we're not blaming anybody, but if we don't solve it or try to ease it, then it becomes a major problem."
And does that losing touch also see ministers putting themselves in silos?
Espat criticized many of the ministries for acting like "turf" instead of a team:
Julius Espat, Minister of Infrastructure Development and Housing "It's been a great experience, and we have to have... that's what's lacking in Belize a bit. Each ministry starts acting like it's a turf. And so I'm trying to... you could call it silos, turfs, whatever. But if we learn to work a little bit better together... but it always ends up to who is the leader, because if the leader doesn't lobby for it, it won't happen. And you can be in any ministry, and if you sit back and blame everybody that it didn't happen, it didn't happen. And some people don't like my style, but I try to make it happen."
Senior Courts Launch Criminal Law Practitioners Program Under PACE Justice Initiative
Those looking for a career in law are being urged to consider becoming a criminal law practitioner. Today, the Senior Courts of Belize launched its Criminal Law Practitioners Program under its PACE Justice Project with funding from the EU and UNDP. It is a ten-week cohort designed to finely tune professional practice in this sometimes neglected area. Jomarie Lanza was at the launch, and here's what she reported:
The Association of Defence Attorneys also issued a release today welcoming the specialized professional development initiative that will increase the number of attorneys practicing criminal law in Belize. However, the ADA pointed out in their release that, quote, "The ADA continues to be without representation on both the General Legal Council (GLC) and the Judicial and Legal Services Commission (JLSC), despite the critical role criminal defence attorneys play in the administration of justice." End quote.
Espat's Architecture Firm Removed From Royal Kahal Resort Lawsuit in US Court
Tonight, we have a major update in the ongoing legal proceedings involving Royal Kahal Resort Ltd.
In a new filing from the United States District Court in Massachusetts, an agreed order has been entered in the lawsuit brought by Mounia El-Arar, representing the estate of Wafae El-Arar. According to court documents, two defendants-Anna Maria Espat and Strukture Architects Limited-have been officially dismissed from the case without prejudice.
We asked Anna Maria's husband, Julius Espat, about it-and he said it's a huge relief and a lesson learned:
Jules Vasquez: "Your firm, your wife's firm was named as respondents. It is a very big liability suit. What has happened since then?"
Julius Espat: "Well, shocked first, because we knew from the beginning that our involvement had nothing to do with it. Then it became difficult because the jurisdiction is not in Belize, and so we took some time to be able to seek out attorneys in the US that had knowledge of this kind of issue. Luckily, we had family members that knew an attorney, and we interviewed about maybe four, and we found one that was, strange enough, he was an architect before he was an attorney, so he understood. And then we followed it up legally. One major issue was jurisdiction to start with. We had nothing to do with doing business with Americans when it pertained to that project. We don't advertise in the US, we don't have an office there, our client was not an American, so that was a jurisdiction scenario placed forward. And secondly, we informed everybody with information and all data that our involvement had nothing to do with it. In an architectural design, you have various professionals that perform their duties. The architects do the architectural part. The structural is done by civil or structural engineers, the electromechanical is done by mechanical and electrical engineers. And when the plans were produced, it was done in that way-everybody had their separate responsibilities, so ours was only limited to architectural."
"Secondly, the claim said that we were part of the development and project management, and we were not hired for that, so we were never on site at all. And so we proved that with proper documentation, and so the attorneys from the other side made a decision that it was not worth the while continuing with us being in the case because they would lose it anyway. And they made a report to the judge in the United States, and a declaration was made, which after spending a lot of money was a good feeling."
Jules Vasquez: "Yeah, it has to be a huge relief."
Julius Espat: "Yes, but at an immense cost too."
Jules Vasquez: "Is this a teachable moment for those in the building sector, in the hospitality sector, that they have to prepare for contingencies such as these?"
Julius Espat: "Well, it was a shock to us that the legal arm of powerful nations can reach us, and so it will happen with time. And sadly, professionals now have to start considering insurance for liability for that type of work."
Espat Embraces "Social Media King" Moniker Bestowed by Prime Minister
So, tonight you have heard a whole lot from Julius Espat. But he also took things on the lighter side when we got to talking about him as the social media king. Of course, that is how the Prime Minister sarcastically referenced him in mid-September because of all the support for his comments on social media. Today, Espat embraced it-kinda:
Jules Vasquez: "I know you don't follow these things closely, and neither do I, but certainly..."
Julius Espat: "I am social media king! I know about all that happened. You forgot that!"
Jules Vasquez: "The Prime Minister has crowned you social media king. I think that he was referring to your popularity, not to your use. But it's a jovial day, and that's the frame of mind that one has to have to be able to survive in this environment. Did you detect any envy when he said, 'Julius is the social media king'?"
Julius Espat: "Yeah, I'm definitely not a monarch. Noh, I... I tell when you stress out sometimes, things come out weh... you know, da jus' life, mein. Human, human nature. It's... it's acceptable. You mean because I take no offense."
Espat Comments on Mahler's Grocery Bag
He takes no offence to that, but how about when the PM said some years ago that the Cabinet champion of staying in touch with real people's needs was Anthony Mahler? Mahler and Espat have had their differences, so we asked him about it:
CUE IN
CUE OUT
Of "Presst-itutes", "Punks & Hypocrites", Espat Fires Back At Anonymous Social Media Attacks
And while he has respect for that, Espat had none for the social media sites that have been attacking him recently and hatching conspiracies about his alliances and positioning to gain dominance in the PUP.
Espat says that's for the, quote, "punks and hypocrites":
Jules Vasquez: "You have been the target of a lot of speculative political smut, let's call it, recently in some little press-titute websites. Explain to me, where do you think these attacks are coming from?"
Julius Espat: "If I would know, I would address it. It doesn't make... Jules, you are aware in what we do, you have people that agree with you and people that don't agree with you. And some are nasty and others are not. The punks and the hypocrites hide from who they are, and I am not one of them. If I have something to tell you, I will tell you in your face in a very respectful way, because I believe that that's the way it should be."
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Julius Espat, Minister of Home Affairs / MIDH
John Briceno, Prime Minister
Espat, as the Minister of Home Affairs and the Prime Minister as Chairman of the National Security Council, must work together on the serious breach of Belizean airspace that happened eight days ago.
Indeed, a coincidence that is hard to ignore-but for the time being at least, the Guatemalans are sticking to their guns:
Twenty-eight-year-old Chad Borland is dead following a traffic accident on the Hummingbird Highway in Belmopan yesterday evening.
Yesterday, we told you about the parents of Jaheem Williams, the 17-year-old who died in a 2022 collision between a busito taxi and an ambulance.
The TV Ramos Highway is getting another round of repairs, but questions are emerging over why sections of the recently resurfaced road are already showing potholes.
"As you may be aware, the Southern Highway, now known as the TV Ramos Highway, was built in 2000, right? And it took us about five to seven years for us to complete the entire Southern Highway. That's how I have known it as-now known as the TV Ramos Highway. So, in 2000 to 2006-2007, we completely constructed that highway from Six Miles Junction all the way to Cattle Landing, including the section going to Independence. Over the last 26 years, we haven't done any maintenance on that highway since it was paved, and that was because the road had stand up very well, because we didn't have a high volume of traffic, right? The volume of traffic now has increased significantly on TV Ramos Highway because of the heavy equipment moving towards the port, and also all the developments that has happened along the Southern Highway. With that in mind, the Ministry thought it was important for us to commence a project now for us to rehabilitate, but only to reseal the highway, because the formation of the highway, we thought, was still in very good condition. So the resealing that we're doing is just a hot mix overlay, whereby we're placing two inches of hot mix asphalt over the entire section, and what we have done now is approximately 34 kilometers."
In other infrastructure news, Belize City will soon face traffic disruption caused by the reconstruction of two major bridges.
As we reported some weeks ago, the Racoon Street Police Station roof is getting long-needed rehabilitation work. Minister of Home Affairs Julius Espat says that after the bidding process was over, the work began:
Yesterday, we told you that the employment contract for the Director of Procurement, Rey Guerrero, was leaked, showing a two-year compensation package valued at $450,000. His base salary starts at $160,000 annually-almost double that of a government CEO.
Guerrero is also Julius Espat's former CEO. But when we asked him about it today, he didn't want to comment:
And another recent appointment that the PSU has sounded the alarm on is that of Abelardo Mai Jr.
Tonight, we have a major update in the ongoing legal proceedings involving Royal Kahal Resort Ltd.
