Through all the recent turmoil, Government's US$50,000 a day meter never did stop running in the Miami courtroom of Judge Ursula Ungaro Benages. And now the Judge that once said that GOB needs to be hit in the head with a 2 by 4, is doing the equivalent of that legally.
Yesterday Judge Benages issued a clarification of her April 18th order, which charged the Government of Belize contempt at the rate of US$50,000 a day but said that it would be "purged" once a proper board meeting was held. Government's Miami attorneys asked her to clarify what that "purge" meant and whether they would have to pay a fine once the board meeting was held. The GOB lawyers felt that purge meant that the fine including all fines accrued would be written off.
Well, they were very wrong; the Judge confirmed that the meter is running and running fast and will only stop when government agrees to have a board meeting. But when it does stop all the fines accrued up to the date of the meeting will stand and will be payable to her court. According to our information that meeting will be held on Friday at which point the fine will stand at US$1.8 million which again, has to be paid. This cost, of course, coming at a time when government can least afford it.
Government's Miami attorneys also argued that the contempt meter should at least stop running as of April 18th when they tried to hold a meeting, but could not because of the national telecom shutdown. But Benages did not buy it, she pointed out that the meeting could have been held in Miami and government's director Keith Arnold, the only other person needed to make a quorum, left Miami the day before the meeting, and returned the day after the meeting. More than that, the Judge pointed out that even with the national telecom shutdown some long distance telephone arrangement, and one that would have cost less than US$50,000, could have been made to make the meeting possible on the 18th.
It's another sound and costly defeat in the Miami court for the government and all for naught because that 4 - 4 Board of Directors meeting presumably with Prosser as Chairman will proceed on Friday. With the contempt cost mounting and now payable, the question now is whether or when the Court will go after government of Belize deposits in the U.S. Federal Reserve System.
