Speaking yesterday in a morning show appearance the most Prime Minister John Briceno could bring himself to say about the Budna kidnapping was that, quote, "Seems there was a crime that could have been committed."
Well, the best we can say is that he's finally beginning to concede what most Belizeans have known for months: except that what we know is that there were two crimes: first the abduction, and second, the cover-up. And that cover - up requires a lot of people who weren't directly involved to keep their stories straight - which isn't happening.
Jules Vasquez reports on why it's getting increasingly hard to hold together a cover-up that's falling apart:
First, this surveillance video - the fact that Channel 7 has it - even in this grainy form, proves that there was a kidnapping in plain view of the Orange Walk police formation. Everything about how the kidnappers moved tells the public that these are not a bunch of criminals - these are police on a mission - who chose to do the kidnapping here - because they enjoy the cover of the national security apparatus and, implicitly, its leadership.
Second, any big lie needs collaborators to cover it up. In this case - because there were so many moving parts - there are so many witnesses - who were not a part of the planning, execution or payout - so they can't be relied upon.
Start on the day before the kidnapping, here at the Mahogany Street substation. Constable Barry Flowers - who was on leave - was authorized by the Commander to pick up a 9 millimeter pistol - which is never done for an officer on leave. The pistol he requested was not available; the officers on duty were instructed to take one from the patrol teams.
And now Corporal Carlos Choco who witnessed the kidnapping and spoke with Flowers on the ground has been recorded telling a fellow officer that he was made to give a bogus, falsely backdated second statement - after his first one spoke the truth:
Cpl. Carlos Choco, Secret Recording
"It's the first one which I read is what Mr Cowo told me to do, so I write the truth and everything. That statement there has my original signature."
"To give the second statement mek I noh recognize the person they and everything - they ask me fi do that."
Why? To cover up the fact that he was waved off from the scene of a kidnapping by a police officer who was kidnapping a citizen to deliver him to a hostile country.
And tonight, 7News has received confirmed evidence that Choco wasn't the only one made to give a bogus, second statement. The diarist at the Orange Walk station on that night who recorded the incident - was also directed to a senior officer's home where she was presented with a statement to sign. She also - reports say - gave a false signature.
The question is - who could direct and orchestrate such a large scale cover up - by forcing officers of the law to commit themselves in the perversion of the course of justice?
Information to our newsroom is that the diarist's second statement was also backdated. We'll keep following the story.
