Last night on this newscast you saw Attorney Arthur Saldivar holding unto his Toyota Tacoma after a commercial Bank and the police came to repossess it.
Strictly speaking, the bank's issue is not with Saldivar - he doesn't owe them for the truck; the twenty five thousand dollar debt is the responsibility of the man who sold Saldivar the truck, Conrad Arzu Jr.
The bank has the title, but Arzu took out another title and sold it to Saldivar. Now that's not the legitimate way to sell a car but he cut that corner hoping to use the money from the Saldivar sale to buy another SUV to sell. He did, but the Isuzu Rodeo he purchased was stolen. And that's when the juggling of assets and debts fell apart; he still owed the money and had no way to pay it. And while all this might lead you to think that this Conrad Arzu is shady character, from what we could discern, he isn't. The Belmopan Pastor came to our office today to man up - and say it's his fault all the way. It's just that now, like thousands of Belizeans, he has a debt that he cannot pay and is even willing to sell his church van to settle the matter. Here's what he told us:…
Conrad Arzu Jr.
"Jules what really happened was that I purchased the vehicle - I got a loan for it. I made an error in terms of getting rid of the vehicle. However I used the proceeds to purchase another one. The vehicle got stolen."
Jules Vasquez
"The successive vehicle?"
Conrad Arzu Jr.
"Yes sir, and I went through the whole police thing and everything and that was to help me generate the funds that I needed and it kind a set me back some and so I am now trying to liquidate a couple of assets to try to make good on what is owing. I have a 2001 van - 12 seater that I want to sell to date and I have a piece of land in the Teakettle area that I want to sell also. So I want to make good on my commitment. I am not skirting or shirking my responsibility by no means. So I am just here to tell my part just to say that yes I erred in what I did and I am trying to make good on my commitment. I must say that I am sorry for what I did basically and for putting my friends and family through this type of thing."
Anyone wishing to contact Arzu to help him liquidate these assets can call him at 601-8752. And as for Saldivar and the pickup truck, well, he still has it - the bank has not made another attempt to repossess it. He told us today that he continues to enjoy the use of what is doubtlessly his property.
