Tonight 7News has information of disciplinary charges being brought against one of the key police witnesses to the Budna kidnapping. He is one of two officers being charged internally by the Professional Standards Branch for soliciting a bribe. It happened at the Orange Walk police station on September 24th when two police officers - one a constable the other a corporal- allegedly colluded to shake down a detainee named Hector Rios for a thousand dollars. The constable allegedly told Rios that if he paid the thousand dollars they would let him go. Rios's wife brought the cash and the constable is then accused of splitting it with the corporal.
The report was made in September - but it took two and a half months for charges to be brought- and we've been following it closely in the background. Our reports told us that the complaint was being kept on the back burner to protect one of the officers so that he would collude in the Budna kidnapping cover up by giving one of those "less than nothing" statements to investigators. He did do so - but now that the internal charge has been brought - it is left to be seen if he will remain a part of the cover up. The officers are set to appear before a police tribunal on December 10th. We'll keep following it.
