With that, he did not grant any of the Belize’s Bank’s 5 declarations, and lifted an injunction against the Central Bank which was barring it from enforcing its order. And if all that wasn’t bad enough, the Chief Justice described the bank’s strategy as without merit, intended simply to frustrate the Central Bank and further characterized it as “meretricious” – a big word meaning “deceptively pleasing.” It’s a decisive victory for government – and attorney Lois Young Barrow was very pleased.
Lois Young Barrow, Attorney for Government
“Well it is a right decision. It is a good decision.”
Janelle Chanona,
What happens now in terms of enforcement of it?
Lois Young Barrow,
“Now we are going to go to the Appeal Board.”
Janelle Chanona,
You’re not looking forward to that?
Lois Young Barrow,
“I’m just taking it one hurdle at a time. These people are relentless.”
Jules Vasquez,
Miss Lois indeed they are. Do you feel it is s significant victory for the government in the entire state of play as it relates to GOB versus Belize Bank?
Lois Young Barrow,
“In the entire state of play, yes, I am glad you clarified it. It is a significant victory but the case itself, the application by Belize Bank was nonsense in the first place. Just took us through all of this for what. But in the entire scheme of things, yes, a good victory.”
Jules Vasquez,
Is the sweetness of this victory or the gratitude for this victory, is that tempered by the knowledge that most likely it will be appealed in any court that will listen to such an appeal and that after this, there will be successive litigations which you may well also classify as nonsense?
Lois Young Barrow,
“It is not tempered in the least because you know what, it is a very solid decision and it is very hard for them to get anything out of that on appeal. That was a solid decision so they can just come with whatever they want. I don’t think they’re going to win.”
Adele Ramos, Amandala Newspaper
The Central Bank, despite the appeal lodged by the Belize Bank to the Appeals Board, they tried to move on its directives. Do you think now the Central Bank will again try to enforce those directives given that the judge just lifted the injunction?
Lois Young Barrow,
“I don’t see what will stop them from wanting to move on their directive now that the injunction is lifted.”
Janelle Chanona,
And their recourse will be just to reissue the directives, to remind them? Would they send another letter?
Lois Young Barrow,
“That’s a good question Janelle. I am not going to say it on national TV what their recourse is going to be.”
Elson Kaseke, Attorney for Belize Bank
“I am sure we are going to appeal but I have no comment.”
But before the Belize Bank can appeal, it has to deal with the very pressing matter at hand, which is that it has failed to comply with or to file a timely appeal against the March directive of the Central Bank, which was: to return the Venezuelan money. And with the Chief Justice lifting the injunction today, there is nothing to stop the Central Bank from enforcing its directive. And so it did.
7NEWS has learned that this afternoon, the Central Bank wrote to the Belize Bank informing it that it is requiring the bank to comply with the March directive by 4:00 this afternoon. Of course, even if the bank were to take the notice seriously, and we doubt it did, coming up with US$10 million in three hours is not that simple. So, as anyone might have predicted, the bank did not comply and that’s when the police were notified to issue an arrest warrant for Johnson and go to the bank to enforce it – and that’s what they did this afternoon.
As we said, he is out of the country, but the warrant stands and Phil Johnson is a wanted man. It is an escalation of hostilities between government and Ashcroft so dramatic, that the best we can say is that it is unprecedented. What will happen next? Well, that’s anyone’s guess, but when we contacted Phil Johnson today, he told us that he is simply “amazed” at the development. He confirmed that he will be coming back to Belize. When we asked if he will be turning himself in, he said it was far too early to discuss what the legal strategy will be.
