On Friday, Belize Telemedia Limited paid $2.3 million dollars in business tax arrears under duress, after a warrant had been issued by the Magistrate’s Court for the arrest of CEO Dean Boyce. Today, another 2 plus million dollars was due, and again, we are informed that Telemedia has not paid. But attorneys for the company have been busy. Eamon Courtenay and Elson Kaseke appeared in the Supreme Court before Justice Awich at 4:00 this afternoon asking for an injunction against Magistrate Ed Usher barring him from issuing a another warrant for Boyce’s arrest until an appeal of his decision is heard. The appeal would be based on BTL’s reasoning that they have gone to a higher court and that should stay the lower court from issuing arrest warrants.
That matter is to be heard on Thursday, but the tax was due at 5:00 pm today, and facing the very real prospect that an arrest warrant could be issued before Thursday’s hearing, or after it starts, Courtenay and Kaseke asked Awich for an injunction that would last until it is finished. Lois Young Barrow argued against the injunction for Government.
And late this evening, Awich dismissed the Courtenay/Kaseke application for an interim injunction. That means that if Magistrate Ed Usher interprets the law this week as he did last week, another summons may well be issued for Boyce’s arrest.
