As nations, Belize and the U.S. may have had their ups and downs in the past, but the U.S. government has come energetically to the defense of GOB's interest in the U.S. 11th Circuit Court of Appeals. That's the court that's hearing the appeal of the US$50,000 a day fine imposed in April by Judge Ursula Ungaro Benages.
As we reported a month ago, the United States Attorney General's Office filed an amicus brief in that court, which basically means that it wants to align itself with the appeal made by Belize's Attorney in Miami Hunton and Williams. Well, that brief was filed in the court yesterday. It is 173 pages long and makes a thorough case as to why the court should not allow the multi-million dollar fine to stand. It states: "the court should vacate the orders of the district court." That's a powerful suggestion considering it comes to the U.S. judiciary from the executive branch, and legalists point out that it is a quite extraordinary filing for the U.S. Attorney General's office.
It's now left to the U.S. Appeals Circuit Court to decide if it will be swayed by the arguments or the influence of this filing.
