So, those are Budna's claims - and today we went more closely over the Commissioner's denials from his press briefing yesterday - where we found a number of glaring inconsistencies and telling deflections. Jules Vasquez put them together:
Richard Rosado, Commissioner of Police
"A witness reported that one individual matching the description of Joseph Budna was placed in an SUV Vehicle with Belize City plates."
But then four minutes later, he said it was a car:
Richard Rosado, Commissioner Of Police
"We do know that there was a confrontation among four individuals. One of them fit the description of Joseph Budna, who was placed in a, it appears to be a car."
After that checkpoints were activated but somehow none of them detected this vehicle trekking three hours across Belize in the dead of night with a hostage in the back seat.
Rosado's response to that was halting - and telling- offering an excuse of misdirection:
Richard Rosado, Commissioner Of Police
"The challenge that came to us was when we had to follow leads or misleading leads that diverted the, or took a number of our investigative capabilities."
Jules Vasquez
"How is it that none of them picked up Mr. Budna."
Richard Rosado, Commissioner Of Police
"Initially we were, the information we were getting was several descriptions of several different vehicles."
But Budna alleges police in Orange Walk had seen directly what happened - this is what he told us today:
Voice of: Joseph Budna, Alleges Police Abduction
"And, the police came out - persons, persons saw this and they shout "police"."
"Police came out from the Orange Walk police formation because I was resisting while they were beating me in my head to knock me out."
"Police in uniform came out and these men identified themselves as police officers to these police so there was nothing that the uniform police could have done to this one here."
Jules Vasquez
"And how do you know these people are Belizean police officers if you couldn't see their face?"
Voice of: Joseph Budna, Alleges Police Abduction
"I saw one of their face, the one of them that went with us to Arenal. He was the one giving instruction. So I saw his face. That one was not using mask. He had on a white T-shirt."
"However, I can tell you that all of them were speaking English and Belizean Creole loud and clear. The guy said, you no hear shut the "ef" up and he cranked his gun and put it in the back of my head."
Richard Rosado, ComPol
"But our investigation so far has not revealed that any police officer approached those individuals, and it was shown in the camera footage that only four, the confrontation were among four individuals."
Voice of: Joseph Budna, Alleges Police Abduction
"When I got up I was in Arenal, they took me out of the vehicle and I told there was three national civilian police with their vehicle stayed on the other side of the bridge. Three of them was there and this guy just said this is Joseph Budna and they give them some documents some a folder and they hand it over to them and they identified himself as police police officials."
We asked Rosado about that strategic checkpoint in Arenal:
Jules Vasquez
Okay, there's a fixed checkpoint on Arenal, on the Hydro road, as you would know, manned 24 hours, manned by SPU corporal that night. They have to pass through there. Not many vehicles pass through there, it's not a highway."
"Did the patrol there or did the officer there observe anything, did it pass through that checkpoint?"
Richard Rosado, ComPol
"You're saying that the vehicle... you have to realize that in Arenal, there are several, we have several, several ways to reach to Arenal through the Santa Rosa…three are almost three routes."
Well, Santa Rosa isn't one of them - that is by Bullet Tree road - and persons with knowledge of the area say there are not three ways to reach there from the Belize side. And the checkpoint is located so that all traffic going to the Arenal football field has to pass through it.
Budna insists that is where police handed him over with a folder:
Voice of: Joseph Budna, Alleges Police Abduction
"Yes, when they handed over to Arenal police one of them identified themselves as Belize police officer, but they did not allow me to stay close or to see the transction and they just hand over he folder and they move with me very quickly. Nonetheless, Orange walk uniform police came out and these clearly identify themselves as Orange Walk police, because they had a little hassle with me to gtet me in the vehicle, so someome shout to the police and the police came out. So Orange Walk police state that they are police officers as well."
And, again, Budna related to us today that the police officers spoke to the Commissioner:
Voice of: Joseph Budna, Alleges Police Abduction
"One of them shouting they say Compol, Compol is calling, and the guy stop again and all directive was given to the driver, so the driver jumped out of the vehicle again, stopped and spoke on phone with the Compol."
Jules Vasquez
"The allegation by Mr. Budna includes a claim that calls were made in the car to the Compol, saying that we have the man, what do you say in response to that?"
Richard Rosado, ComPol
"Like I said, anybody could say anything and if I would get a dollar for each and every rumor that is being made, I would be a millionaire by now. But we are taking all, all reports, we are looking, in fact we are looking, we are following all investigative leads and wherever that leads to the chips will fall where it may."
Jules Vasquez
"So are you on the investigation then? Because he made an allegation that you are a part of it?"
Richard Rosado, ComPol
"I'm saying that anybody can make an allegation, but please allow the investigative process to take a course."
But that process - while it is just starting appears already to have reached a conclusion that police can not be involved:
Richard Rosado, ComPol
"I do not want to prejudge the finding of the investigation by confirming or denying any details or specific details."
"Let me be unequivocally clear. The police department was not involved in the apprehension or the alleged extradition of Mr. Budna. Certain serious allegations were made. And from our initial investigation, what is being alleged was not conducted by our police officers or were not sanctioned by the senior commander of the police department."
"I will unequivocally state that at no time, I, nor the police department was involved in the apprehension of Budna or to his alleged extradition. And I will maintain that."
Jules Vasquez
"But you can see that people, the public would not have confidence in such an investigation because you may be investigating rogue officers."
"There is no assurance of transparency once there is an allegation of police officers and police are investigating."
Richard Rosado, ComPol
"Allegation like this is what we the vacuum of trust that I must correct that I must see how we can be more transparent and accountable."
