In December 2007, retired BDF General Bob Garcia and Major John Flowers represented by Dean Barrow won a libel suit against the Belize Times for a total of $78,000, the largest combined libel award on record in Belize.
The Times appealed the decision but that appeal has not been heard yet and there is no stay of execution on the judgement. So without a stay and the time still having not paid, the firm of Barrow and Williams moved to execute the judgment – which means crow footing the newspaper’s assets. Last Friday afternoon, court bailiffs went into the Belize Times to mark the property they intend to crowfoot. Now, The Times has 5 days to come up with the money to come up with the payment or on Thursday the court is moving in to take the paper’s assets.
How did it come to this for the country’s oldest paper and the PUP party organ? Well, we do know that the ownership of the paper recently changed hands along with the leadership of the party. In May, the previous owners Said Musa and Ralph Fonseca signed an agreement to sell the assets and assume the responsibility for that lawsuit which was listed as being under appeal.
