In October of last year Ursula Hill, the would-be star witness in the case to prosecute Gabby Afiff for alleged passport fraud, was dragged to the courts. She'd gone from star witness to chief suspect as the DPP felt she'd reneged on a commitment she made to him that she would implicate Afiff, her former boss. In exchange, Anderson granted her immunity from prosecution. But when she was charged, a defiant Hill told us that she was ready for it and was in fact ready to face off with the then Director of Public Prosecutions. Well Kirk Anderson has left the office and there's a new DPP in office - and it seems he has no reason to face off with Hill. Today he withdrew the charges against Hill and she told us she couldn't be more relieved.
Ursula Hill,
"Well I went to court today and my lawyer informed me that he had gotten a notice from the DPP's office that he was withdrawing all charges. So we went to court and I got a letter and it stated that all the charges that were brought against me by the former DPP have been withdrawn. So it is just a good feeling knowing that everything has been cleared after such an embarrassing moment. It really had put a real embarrassing moment and a real damper on a lot of pieces of my life and my family because for those out there who know the real story behind those passports and stuff will know that in no way was I guilty or the charges that were brought against me and the DPP, the former DPP himself, knew that bringing these charges against me was just something personal, just vindictive."
Alfonso Noble,
Is it a concern for you that you left people with the breath in their mouth?
Ursula Hill,
"Yes it is a concern Alfonso but then again, I don't know what to explain, but it would have made me be able to say certain things but then it wouldn't have taken back most of what has already been done because those passport things were serious, they were very serious, to myself and other people, but then again I had to look at it from my personal whatever in the sense that I was being taken advantage of, I was put as the scapegoat. And so the truth, even if I was charged and even if they had found me guilty for these things, it still wouldn't have made people realize the seriousness of what had happened because from the beginning of the whole trial, everything did not go the way it was supposed to go, so at least for myself I am happy. But for the people of Belize who do not know, it is sad but maybe one day they will find out."
Hill had been charged for giving contradictory evidence, fabricating evidence, forgery, possession of false documents, and uttering on a forged document. All those have now been dropped.
