Miami Judge Ursula Ungaro Benages has found the government of Belize it contempt of her judgement and that finding is going to cost dearly. For the ongoing contempt, the Judge ordered the Government of Belize to pay the clerk of Florida Federal Court US$50,000 a day, retroactive to March 29 which was 15 days ago. At that rate, as of today, Government owes the court US$750,000 and it has until next Friday, April 22nd, to pay.
It's a stiff penalty and, according to this Judge, the only way to remedy the situation is for government to agree to a board meeting on Monday with the Board of Directors constituted in a four-four configuration: that means four directors for Jeffrey Prosser and four for the Government of Belize and Michael Ashcroft.
It's a dramatic reversal of fortune for the government which was buoyed last week when the Supreme Court of Belize ruled that the board stood 6 to 2 in Government and Ashcroft's favor. And while that's the law in Belize, the fact is that Government has submitted by action and by contract to the jurisdiction of the Florida Court and every day they continue to ignore her judgement, the cost goes up by another US$50,000, including weekends and holidays. And while Government had no comment whatsoever today, its lawyer in Miami, Barry Davidson of Hunton and Williams responded to the crushing defeat by saying that government is going to comply with the Judge's order and will be having that four to four board of directors meeting on Monday.
But even if government complies on Monday when the contempt charges, inclusive of the weekend, will stand at a cool US$1 million there is some question as to whether that will get government off the hook, that is whether it will make Judge Ungaro Benages write off the bill. Government's Attorney Davidson says it will, but those legal authorities we spoke to in Belize who read the judgement feel otherwise; they note that she says the board meeting will purge the contempt but she does not say it will nullify the past contempt. It's a fairly fine legal point but one that accounts for the difference of US$1 million.
But that's not the end of it, they will apply to have the ruling of the Belize Supreme Court accepted by the judge. And while these legal responses come from one quarter, in another, Illinois Congressman Jerry Weller is reportedly trying to advance the cause of ICC in the U.S. Congress. The House Committee on International Relations' Subcommittee on the Western Hemisphere today requested an appearance from Belize's Ambassador to the United States Lisa Shoman to explain Belize action with regards to Jeff Prosser and ICC.
