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And while the gun debate became the center of the discussion today - Peyrefitte was hosting the press to respond to statement made by Miami based businessman with Belizean nationality, Barry Williams. His attorney says he has been defamed by commercials airing on this channel - which tie him to a land transaction involving Portico.
And, in the special audit of the immigration and nationality department report, the name Barry Williams came up as someone who got his nationality while being flagged for questioning in connection with money laundering.
But, it turns out, it was just a cautionary flag, nothing was ever proven, and nothing came of the case.
His attorney in getting that caution lifted in 2012 was Mike Peyrefitte - who shared his history with Barry, formerly Boris:
Mike Peyrefitte, Former Attorney Boris Besmertryy
"I remember Barry Williams, a.k.a. Boris Sokolov, I think, a.k.a. Besmertryy. Yes, I do remember Boris Besmertryy. In 2012, I was introduced to him by Ambassador Hisam Diab who had called me and said that some monies were being frozen by the FIU and that Mr. Pesmerkny. needed an attorney to apply to the Supreme Court to unfreeze the funds."
"So I took the retainer. I applied to the Supreme Court to have the matter unfrozen, had the funds unfrozen by Chief Justice Benjamin. And that's what I did. And the monies were unfrozen. And I haven't really had any interaction with him since then. But yes, he was a client of mine. Under the law, the FIU under the money laundering Anti-Money Laundering Act can freeze your funds."
"And then the court gives them a certain time within which they have to bring charges to substantiate the freezing of the funds. And usually what the court does is it gives you a time when that time passes and you don't bring any case or you don't levie any charge. Well, then the court simply says, well, the time has elapsed. You have not applied to extend the amount of time you want the money frozen, then you know the funds have to be released. It was as simple as that. I don't know if I cleared anything. All I did was apply to the court to say, well the time has elapsed. The FIU has not brought any charges against this person. So you must unfreeze the money."
Jules Vasquez:
"The picture shown along with the company documents from East Wind Trading. The picture shown is of Barry Williams. Who do you know that Barry Williams to be?"
Mike Peyrefitte, Former Attorney Boris Besmertryy
"Well, I would have to see. I would have to see the picture. But I know I saw some one of the regular exposes that have been coming out during the news, and there was a picture of a Barry Williams and that is the Barry Williams that's the Barry Williams I knew was Boris Besmertryy, yes."
Williams's attorney has written to 7news saying "our Client is being confused with another individual named Barry of Russian descent mentioned in the Auditor General's Report on the Immigration and Nationality Department." His attorney adds, quote, "our Client was, on the 14th December, 2018, considered by no less than the Minister of Economic Development, Petroleum, Investment, Trade and Commerce, (Erwin Contreras) as 'special emissary and Trade Representative for promoting Belize.'
