Tonight, police are still holding unto the 2021 Volkswagen Atlas that tour operator Yohny Rosado bought from a local car dealer. And, the way it's looking, he might not ever going to get that back. The cops say they have proof that it's stolen from the US - and they aren't budging.
But, tonight, that headline of: "cops seize stolen vehicle from businessman" has been replaced by a far more compelling one: "did an elected official play a special role in importing a stolen ride?"
Jules Vasquez looked at the known evidence:
The Police maintain that this vehicle is stolen - and indeed, our reports suggest that it was.
And while the owner Yohny Rosado stands to lose the fancy SUV that he says he paid $65,000 dollars for; politician Marconi Leal may have put himself into a position where he could lose his good name.
By having his name affixed atop this vehicle appraisal form - he can be accused of breaching the code of ethics for elected officials as outlined in the Belize Constitution.
Now, we stress, he claims he simply put in a word "with a customs officer to get a "friend" a discount on duty." But that raises all kinds of questions and invites speculation on his motives.
We are told that the name affixed to the top of this Customs appraisal form is a signal to customs officials to give an ease on the duties assessed - which we are told is not an uncommon practice for elected officials - and it goes back to the last administration.
Minister of State for Finance Chris Coye says, quote, "I am not aware of any such practice" - but customs officials we spoke to says it indicates that an elected official presented as a party to the initial importation.
For his part, Leal again said he, quote, "Had no interest in that vehicle, just asked customs to assist a friend.…" That friend is a well-known dealer, Roberto C. Villanueva - AKA Skinny - who sold the SUV to Yohny Rosado. Now, with mounting evidence that the vehicle was stolen - Rosado may be looking to him for a refund:
Reporter
"If the vehicle is stolen, what then?"
Yohny Rosado
"He has the answer, then you lie around and then I'll go back for my cheese."
A few key clarifications after night's story where we said that Victor Arana was the importer: correction, he was only the customs broker, which is why his name appears on the paperwork.
Second, we said last night that the police Joint Information Coordination Center had cleared the vehicle - and we reported that based on proof that a formal request for clearance was sent from Customs to JICC on February 21st. But, now the Commissioner of Police is saying that JICC never cleared it - and that JICC only got the request on August 5th - which is when it showed up in the system as stolen. So, what happened to the first request - which was a formal email? The Commissioner claims JICC never "acted on it" because it was not a signed request.
