As we showed you last night, we interviewed both the Prime Minister and the Minister of Public Service about the situation with the acting Chief Forest Officer John Pinelo.
As we've been reporting, he's accused of extorting bribes from the owner of a forestry business, and he's also accusing that businessman of trying to push a bribe on him.
It puts the government in a tight spot with clear proof in the public eye. We looked at their dodgy statement on this prickly situation:
John Pinelo, Ag. Chief Forest Officer
"Mr. Godinez approached me after a meeting with my CEO and offered me money to help him facilitate his activities. And I told Mr. Godinez, I don't need any of your money. I am well off how I am, and I will be well off after you disappear from this environment."
Cesar Godinez, Owner - Selva Conservation Ltd.
"He reached out and said, if you give this amount of money, I will make sure it goes, and I have, I have proof that I gave him money."
"He would reach out to me, I would give, I would give, I gave him a monies and he would say, if you don't give me the money, I won't make it go through."
Bolstering Godinez's claims we have seen the excerpt of a bank statement with multiple rounded payments from his account to Pinelo. Pinelo says those were for purchases from his computer company; Godinez says he didn't even know that company existed:
Jules Vasquez
"What do you make of what you've seen or heard?"
John Briceno, Prime Minister
"I just saw somebody sent me your interview that you did. I was, like, floored."
It had a vertiginous effect on the PM while John Pinelo has reportedly gone on four weeks leave while he is being investigated:
John Briceno, Prime Minister
"What I've done is I've asked the Cabinet Secretary to speak with the CEO of Sustainable Development to be able to….I'm told that, ahm, she has spoken to the acting Chief Forest Officer, he has gone on holiday and the investigation will be done."
Henry Charles Usher, Minister of Public Service
"The bribe is an issue that he will have to explain or the attempt to bribe, I think that is something he will have to explain when that investigation Is carried out by the Ministry of Sustainable Development."
The problem now is - in a department frequently shadowed by claims of corruption in logging enforcement and the issuance of logging concessions - there is a now a reasonable suspicion in the public mind about widespread and deeply rooted corruption.
Jo- "The entire episode has put a questionable light on things that happen internally at the Forestry Department. Does there need to be a review of other actions carried out by that department?"
Henry Charles Usher, Minister of Public Service
"I think that whatever actions need to be taken, the ministry responsible needs to look at those. This investigation might reveal other areas where there is a lack of control, where new controls need to be put into place and certainly those are areas we would try to assist them with when that investigation is completed."
But the proof is out there: Pinelo is listed as a shareholder in a company owned by a logging concession holder.
John Pinelo, Ag. Chief Forest Officer
"I was shocked when you sent me a document with my name on it. I never signed anything to be a member of this company. I don't even know what the company is doing. I was asked if I wanted to be a shareholder. Yes, I will say that I never signed anything or accepted to be. I have never participated in any meeting or any discussion with anybody that professes to be the directors or managers of Selva Conservation."
We did ask the Belize Companies and Corporate Affairs Registry whether Pinelo's named as legitimately added as a shareholder and via email, they said, quote:
"the documents relating to the shareholder information for the company were filed and recorded in accordance with the requirements of the Belize Companies Act, 2022."
And those requirements include valid ID of all shareholders. So, they're saying Pinelo the shareholder was duly registered - though he denies it.
Perhaps sensing that the fallout from this could be far - reaching - the PM refused to take a position even in the face of glaring evidence:
Jules Vasquez
"Who do you believe?"
John Briceno, Prime Minister
"I really can't comment on that. I really again, it's best for me to do it for me to be able to get a true report, a true representation of what has taken place."
Do you believe, but, but, you know, Mister Pinelo had spoken plainly and said that he has been fraudulent, fraudulently listed as a shareholder in this company.
John Briceno, Prime Minister
"Okay."
Of course, it is not OK; far from it. Godinez says that the department is already retaliating against him with these costly cutting permits which he believes were unfairly slapped unto another of his logging companies Arch Timbers just yesterday, a few days after he accused Pinelo of extorting him.
