Alberto August is still facing cyberbullying charges relating to a Facebook post he made mocking Oscar Mira.
And while the PM calls it a costly and painful lesson for Mira - police are not relating in their prosecution of a cybercrime investigation.
Today the police department went to court with an application for a search warrant of August's premises and permission to search his phone, which August has to unlock.
It was an ex-parte hearing - meaning the August was not even supposed to know about it.
In the end police asked for an adjournment but it has raised alarm bells not just for him but for the former chairman Micheal Peyrefitte as well.
Peyrefitte told us via Zoom that he believes the police are looking for more than just information relating to the cybercrime.
Michael Peyrefitte, Former Chairman, UDP
"It is the most bizarre thing to do that because first of all the post was made by Alberto that hurt Mira's feelings but Alberto has never said he was not the man or the person who made the post. He said he is the person that made the post. What he is maintaining is that the post was not criminal. But so then there is no need to go and search into somebody's phone or computer or any electronic system to determine if they made the post because they're telling you that they did. So the question is why is the police department so determined to get into Alberto August's phone? We have to believe it's because they want to get into the man's business, they want to see who he's been communicating with, that has nothing to do with the case."
"The police department went to court this morning but when they got wind that persons would be there to represent Mr August and they would not be able to do it behind his back then they hurriedly asked for an adjournment to next week for the search warrant to be ordered by the court, the magistrate's court and then for permission to get into his phone. What we're saying is two things, Alberto lives in San Ignacio, why did they make the application in Belize City? Why not San Ignacio, that's extremely strange. And so that's one of the main things we want to find out and most importantly we want to find out what you want with his phone?"
"Why do they need to physically go to his house tomorrow? And that's because the police currently has 2 of his phones. There is no need for police to have his phones any at all."
"I believe that they're just trying to benefit from the fact that they have his phone, they did not notify anybody that they were making this application, they were doing it ex parte because I believe they wanted to get the permission to search the phone, search the phone, find materials that has nothing to do with this case but benefit the PUP in their minds and then just simply return it with nobody being none the wiser that they found anything in it."
